强龙不压地头蛇1
By CHIN’s soothsayers
After the excitement of the Dragon, the Year of the Snake (also known as the “little dragon”) should be a progressive year that delivers results, albeit slowly.
On 29 January 2025, the Year of the Wood Snake slithers in. One of the first things we should notice is improvement in economic atmosphere – investors will regain confidence and the cost-of-living crisis will start to abate. The first part of the year could be when economic activities and the stock market will be more active. The snake delivers a positive mood, bringing confidence to buy. This energy will continue into 2026 (17 February 2026) when the horse is off and racing.
Still, saving money and being thrifty should be top priorities. It is also best to avoid high-risk investments this year. Snakes are charmers, but delusion and deception are also common in snake years. To gain the greatest benefits from this year, you must control spending. One ‘guru’ even suggests that wearing red underwear can bring added protection – we know snakes often shed their skins to transform themselves.
While in the East the Snake is known for its wisdom and transformative energy, with the wood element adding growth, stability, and creativity, almost all other cultures associate the snake with evil, hypocrisy and ugliness – all negative connotations. However the snake was a symbol for worship in China as it represented beauty and luck. It was the earliest totem for Chinese people and the original god and goddess in China.
The bible has Adam and Eve. In ancient Chinese myths the earliest man and woman – Fuxi (伏羲) and Nuwa (女娲) – had human faces and snake bodies. They gave birth to mankind. In some remote parts of China people still worship snakes – some places even have guard snakes which surround a baby to protect it. In Fujian, a place called Snake Village has a black snake that goes into people’s houses protecting them and they regard it as a god.
Are you a Snake?
Snake Eyes – the worst gamblers in the universe, it’s just as well they are astute in business and lucky in other money matters, but don’t rely on a snake to help out, they can be tight. They are brilliant at solving problems and intuitive, seductive and amusing – oh, did I mention charming! They have a great way with words and language as well and like reading and the arts.
Deep-thinking, wise, intelligent, good organisers, single-minded to achieve goals – of all of the signs, the snake will never give in, but he takes a long time to recover from failure.
Snakes rely on judgement rather than advice, and can be secretive and aloof. The snake chooses friends with care and will save his own skin first. Good looking and always elegant, they like to have the latest devices and luxury.
Snakes are hard workers, but need to rest between times. They prefer a peaceful life and get stressed when things are chaotic.
They’ll be mad as a cut snake if you tread on them – they are passionate and will not forgive a slight or betrayal. Pay attention to your health in the Snake Year too – the Spanish Flu started in a Snake year and killed 50 million people. In the last Snake year in 2013 who would have thought we would have come through a pandemic of similar magnitude (started in the Year of the Pig!).
Snake Oil Careers
Occupations that suit include: leader, writer, researcher, teacher, politician, scientist, artist, analyst, magician, sociologist, philosopher, salesperson.
Election in a Snake Year and other Predictions
Snake years can bring new innovations and progress – it was a snake year that saw the DNA structure of Crick and Watson and some snakes later the Human Genome sequence was revealed; also Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was published. The first petrol-powered car was also built in a snake year and are we seeing an escalation in the demise of petrol cars this snake year?
International conflicts persist and snake years are not always peaceful, but violence should abate – the Vietnam War raged in a snake year, but the Korean War ended, the Afghanistan War started in a snake year as well as the Second Opium War in China. We go into the Snake Year with a peace settlement in the Gaza war – could be a beacon for hope this year.
Previous snake years saw the Pearl Harbour attack, breaking down the Berlin Wall and the break up of the Soviet Union (the Russian empire also came to an end with the abdication of Tsar Nicolas in a Snake year) – are we sensing a strong Russian theme to this Snake Year? Tiananmen on 4 June 1989 and the 911 terrorist attacks in 2001 were also in snake years.
Lots of good has come in snake years though: China entered the WTO, APEC was founded and the Ipod introduced; not to mention the invention of the World Wide Web! Star Wars opened and colour television was born – we can’t wait to see what this Snake Year has in store!
The Centenary Test was played in Melbourne in a snake year and later this year The Ashes will be played in Australia (not to forget the Women’s Ashes which will be decided this Snake Year too. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach the Mt Everest summit in a Snake Year.
Xi Jinping’s tenure started in a Snake Year (and he is a Snake!)
The last three Australian elections held in snake years were won by the coalition.
Snakes and Ladders
2013
- The first successful attempt in human cloning was made by scientists by using human skin cells to create embryos.
- Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope in 600 years to resign.
2001
- The Netherlands became the first country to legalise same-sex marriage.
- Ansett Airlines, one of the world’s oldest airlines, collapsed in Australia.
1989
- Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Revolutions of 1989 started in Poland, which eventually led to the collapse of Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, and the End of the Cold War.
- Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web (WWW).
1977
- With the success of the Smallpox vaccine, the disease was eradicated with the last naturally occurring case in Africa.
- The last execution by guillotine happened in France.
- Australian Democrats political party launched in Australia.
- First 7-Eleven store opened in Australia.
- In April 1977, the Apple II was introduced to the public, which was the first commercially successful personal computer.
1965
- Australia entered the Vietnam War sending troops to South Vietnam.
- Singapore became an independent and sovereign state after separating from Malaysia.
- The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, also known as the second India-Pakistan war, spanned just over a month.
- A Soviet cosmonaut, Alexei Leonov, conducted the first spacewalk for just over 12 minutes.
1953
- The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place.
- The first public demonstration of a Russian-English machine translation system was conducted, which was a collaboration between IBM and Georgetown University.
1941/2
- On 1st January, 1942, 26 nations at war with the Axis powers signed the Declaration by United Nations. This is the first official use of the term “United Nations”.
1929
- The stock market in the U.S. crashed in October, triggering The Great Depression, the economic crisis lasting over a decade.
- The first Academy Awards took place in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
1917
- The U.S. entered World War I after declaring war on Germany in April 1917. After that, China also declared war on Germany in August.
Snake Charmers
Chinese interest: Mao Zedong and Xi Jinping, political figures: Soong Ching-ling, Chen Yun and Wu Bangguo, Chinese writer Lu Xun, actors: Gong Li, Carina Lau, Dicky Cheung, Aaron Kwok, Huang Xiaoming, Mavis Fan and Cheryl Yang
Australian pollies: Bob Hawke, Joe Hockey, Peter Garrett, Sue Lines, Nick McKim, Linda Reynolds, Larissa Waters, Alex Hawke, Stephen Jones, Keith Wolahan
Leaders (and beware if you are a Snake leader, there are multiple assassinations here): Tony Blair, John F Kennedy, Franklin D Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Ferdinand Marcos, Martin Luther King, Alfred Nobel, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Arty Snakes: Edgar Allen Poe, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Louis Vuitton, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Franz Schubert, Sidney Nolan, Picasso, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkle, Carole King, Bob Dylan, Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, Ita Buttrose, Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Chris Martin, Robert Downey, Daniel Radcliffe, Katie Noonan, Chas Licciardello, Louis Braille (invented Braille reading and writing system)
Sporty Snakes: Steve and Mark Waugh, Steve Smith, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek, Victoria Azarenka, Pat Cash, Mark Woodforde, John Millman, Kei Nishikori, Jack Draper, Daniel Ricciardo, Oscar Piastri.
Compatibility – into the Snake Pit: If you are planning to get married or begin a business partnership, you better take a good look at the other person’s finances. Snakes get on well with dragons, rabbits, roosters and oxen, but beware tigers, pigs and other snakes.
PARSELTONGUE
- 强龙不压地头蛇 Qianglong bu ya ditoushe – a powerful dragon will not challenge a snake in its old haunts. Even though you are a strong dragon, you are an outsider and can’t defeat a snake at home – a parallel to the difficulties western businesses have working in China.