By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN
Hong Kong (CNN) — If there’s one common theme to emerge from the many Lunar New Year rituals attached to the annual celebration, from the food we eat to the activities we join, it’s the collective hope that we’re ushering in luck, prosperity and good vibes for ourselves and everyone around us.
This year, the world rings in the Year of the Horse on February 17 — the first day of the Lunar New Year in 2026. Which means many people are now looking to the stars for hints about what’s in store for the months to come.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a personal geomancer on your phone — we’ve done the cosmic legwork for you, rounding up this year’s Chinese zodiac fortune guide with the help of a seasoned master.
First, let’s start with the basics. The 12-year Chinese zodiac calendar cycle is represented by 12 different animals, in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
Your zodiac animal is determined by your year of birth, meaning those born on or after the first day of the lunar calendar in 2026 will fall under the Horse sign. (Check out the illustrations below to find out which animal represents the year you were born.)
But that’s only the beginning. For faithful followers of the system, a year isn’t just categorized by its animal. There’s also a complex sexagenary cycle made up of 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches.
Things are about to get hot
It’s complicated, but here’s a simplified explanation. Every year, a heavenly stem (one of five elements, which fall into the yin or yang category) is paired with an earthly branch (one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals).
This year, the heavenly stem is “Bing” (big sun) and the earthly branch is “Wu” (the Horse), making it the Year of the Fire Horse.
So what exactly does that mean? For deeper insights into the year ahead, we met up with Thierry Chow, a Hong Kong-based feng shui consultant who blends traditional Chinese geomancy with modern elements.
“Bing represents the big sun, and the Horse, as a zodiac animal, is also a fire sign. So this is probably one of the most fiery years you will get,” she says.
“Industries associated with the fire category will dominate — from technology to anything that generates energy and fire. Arts, fashion and cooking also rely heavily on fire. You can expect these sectors to get more attention.”
Chow says that fire influence is going to impact both the weather and people’s temperaments — so the world should be on the lookout for more heat-related disasters this year, as well as heightened tensions in already heated relationships.
“But for people who do need fire, this can be a very good year. Generally, people born in autumn and winter benefit from having more fire in their elements,” she adds.
In feng shui, everyone’s birth chart is composed of different elements — metal, wood, water, fire and earth. The art of feng shui and Chinese fortune-telling is often about balancing these elements in our bodies and in nature.
“There is no absolute good or bad,” says Chow. “One lesson I take from Confucian philosophy is that you can bring what you lack into your life through awareness and effort.”
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