Welcome to Chinese New Year 2024: the year of the Wood Dragon is finally here! Actually, by the time you woke up at the crack of dawn this morning, you’d already enjoyed some months of this most auspicious year. Chinese New Year 2024, which celebrates the all-powerful Wood Dragon, started back on February 10. Regardless of when you were born, you can discover what surprises this year holds for all 12 signs of the lunar zodiac.
Legend has it that either Buddha or the Jade Emperor called for a race among animals to decide how to measure time. The first 12 animals to cross the river would have a year of the zodiac named after them.
The diligent ox reached the line ahead of all the others, but the clever rat riding on the big animal’s head jumped to land first. The tiger was third, followed by the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat (or sheep), the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and last, the boar (or the more mundane pig).
Is the Dragon the Luckiest of All?
The only symbol that’s obviously not an animal is the luckiest of all: the majestic dragon. (And why the dragon finished fifth in the race is a story best left for another day.) What’s more, the 12 symbols also repeat themselves in cycles of 12 years. Each time a symbol comes to the lead for a year, our good (and bad!) fortune, in terms of health, love, and money, among other salient life factors, is impacted.
(I remember working in Taiwan years ago, and there was a daily news column saying if it was a lucky day for us to get married, open a new business, or get our hair cut!)
Did you know that people of Chinese descent are particularly excited to have babies in the Chinese New Year of the Dragon? That’s because they believe those ‘dragon kids’ will reflect the sign’s immense power. They’re especially self-confident, smart, and destined for success (and maybe they’ll even figure out a way to support their parents!).
All kidding aside, research has also shown that parents´ lofty expectations of Asian kids born in the dragon year lead to higher performance in school. Coincidentally, parents of these kids invested more in their education also.
What’s Wood Got to Do with Dragons?
The next question you’re clearly dying to ask: What’s the element of wood have to do with Chinese New Year 2024? Each new year of the lunar calendar is associated with a natural element that affects our fortune. Besides wood, the other elements are air, fire, metal, and water.
To keep things simple, Chinese New Year 2024 promises to combine the magical power of the dragon with the grounding element we know as wood.
In the words of renowned Chinese medicine practitioner, Tsao-Lin Moy, this enchanting mix will give us a year full of growth, vitality, and the flowering of wisdom, according to a New York Post report. Moy’s the founder of Integrative Healing Arts in NYC. Mr. Moy also reminds us that Chinese New Year 2024 and the nurturing energy of the Wood Dragon are firmly rooted in 3,000 years of Chinese history.
Chinese New Year 2024 Brings Rebirth
If you’re squeamish about body parts, you might want to skip the next part. The element wood is linked to the gall bladder and liver, and holds Yang energy, representing spring’s rebirth and vitality. Wood allows both the life force (known as ‘chi’ or Qi in Chinese) and our body’s blood to flow freely. On top of that, wood guarantees balance.
On the other hand, imbalances in our lives can occur. That’s when we feel irritable and angry, or make decisions that aren’t firm or whole-hearted. That’s also one reason I’m clutching the sides of my wood desk as I rush to finish this article!
It’s easy to find out your Chinese zodiac year by doing a touch of research. Enjoy the Chinese New Year of the Wood Dragon in 2024! Go grab a good book or watch an instructional video. You’ve still got a few months to learn something this new year.
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American writer Will Beebe spent 15 years living in Japan and Taiwan. Born in the Chinese Year of the Rooster, as well as being a passionate, powerful Scorpion, he’s intrigued by both the Occidental and Oriental zodiacs.
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