Photographs by Frank Jang, San Francisco local photographer
No one likes being called a snake. However, the snake is this year’s Chinese zodiac symbol, and it’s not all bad.
According to tradition, the people born in the year of the snake or serpent are said to be smart, intuitive, caring and wise. They are extremely successful in attracting and holding a crowd. At the same time they can be sly, overconfident, stubborn, and jealous.
According to the China Travel Guide, snake personalities are best suited for the arts and entertainment industry as well as politics. It should be of no surprise that well known “snake” figures include Taylor Swift, John F. Kennedy, Pablo Picasso, and Audrey Hepburn.
Then who should snakes marry? As tradition holds, snakes are extremely friendly and adaptable but they will get along best with the ox, rat, and dragon.
The ox, say zodiac believers, values stability like the snake. And as for the rat, both rat and snake possess a strong intuition and cleverness. Dragons and snakes are ambitious, making ideal power couples.
And who should snake people avoid? Dating a tiger, rabbit, or sheep will end in disaster. Tigers are too secretive while rabbits are inflexible. Sheep are opposite in personality compared to their slithering counterparts. Further because snakes have strong egos, a snake should never marry another snake.
Photographs by Frank Jang, San Francisco local photographer
Complicating things more is that every zodiac animal is paired with one of the five elements: earth, metal, fire, wood, and water. This year it’s the wood snake, which comes around every 60 years. That combination results in a personality that’s witty, logical, and fun to be around. Want to find someone who will be the life of the party? Invite a wood snake.
Wednesday, January 29 begins the new lunar year. It will close out after 15 days on February 12. Therefore say goodbye to the dragon of 2024 and usher in the wise, clever, and charming snake of 2025.
Today, if you go into Chinatown you will see souvenir stores already stocked to the brim with snake emblems printed on toys, wall proverbs on lucky red paper, greeting cards, and red envelopes. You can prepare now by purchasing a few trinkets to post in your home. Maybe you’ll adopt some of those witty characteristics, too!
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