2026 Is The Year Of The Horse – But What Does That Mean?

via Pexels

We’re all familiar with the phrase ‘New Year, New Me.’ The beginning of every year always feels like a great time to try new things, become better people and get a few steps closer to our ideal lives. But if you feel like there’s really something special about this upcoming year, or you’re feeling unusually motivated, even for the first week of January, we suggest you take a look at the Chinese calendar, and its predictions for what 2026 could bring you.

So, 2025 was the Year of the Snake. And what do snakes do? They shed. According to the Chinese calendar, the Year of the Snake is all about letting go of anything that is weighing you down, whether that is internal or external. Many of you might have noticed that 2025 was a rather unexciting time, or perhaps you feel like you took a lot more losses than wins. Maybe you left a job or a relationship, drifted apart from a friend you were once very close with, or simply realised that you just weren’t content with some part of your life, and that you wanted change. Perhaps now, after making those big decisions, you feel uncertain about what the future holds for you, you’re wondering if you made the right decision. 

If you have any faith at all in the Chinese calendar or astrology, then you’ll be happy to hear that all of the qualms listed above were exactly what was meant to happen to you in 2025. As tough and exhausting as it was, all of that losing, shedding and letting go was 100% necessary to prepare you for 2026; the year of the horse. Be excited.

While the snake moves carefully and quietly along, shedding the parts of itself that hold it back, the horse is young, wild and bursting with energy. It’s all about movement this year. Moving towards your goals, towards the person you want to be, towards the life you want. And more importantly, moving freely, as you’ve already done the hard part, letting go of anything holding you down. As boring or tough as the past year has felt, your experiences were preparing you so that you can spend this year “galloping” into your ideal life completely focused on the road ahead, without needing to look back, just like the horse. 

via Pexels

So, what do you do with this information? Firstly, you should take it as your sign to really put yourself out there this year. Believe in yourself, know that you deserve the life you want, and that you have the strength to attain it. Hopefully, if the past year has taught you anything, it’s that you can overcome any hardship you face, and this year you might find that overcoming these problems, making these scary decisions, open doors for you that you never even dreamed of opening. It takes a lot of courage to leave something behind when you have no idea what the future holds, but very often that courage is rewarded, and what a better year to reap those rewards than the Year of the Horse?

Try new things. Start that hobby that you’ve always secretly thought you’d be good at. Go visit that country you’ve never seen before. Tell that person how you feel about them. Get that tattoo. Throw yourself at any opportunity that comes your way. And look inwards as well. Get to know yourself better. Write your thoughts down. Speak more kindly to yourself. Meditate. Think about how far you’ve come already, and how much more you have to give! You are the only person who’s able to give you the life you want, so don’t wait around. Try and grow a little more every day, even if all that is is going for a walk or reading a few pages of a book. 

The beginning of the new year can often make many of us feel under pressure. The convention of the new year, with traditions like New Year’s resolutions and gym membership sales can make us feel like we’re not enough, and that we have to change ourselves. That’s not entirely true. It’s a much better idea to take the new year as an opportunity to reflect on the person you’ve become and how much closer you are to living the life you’ve always dreamed of. Maybe you’re totally content with yourself right now, and that’s perfect too!

January in particular can be a very tedious and depressing month, not exactly conducive to embracing new opportunities or putting yourself out there. If you’re still stuck in the winter blues, that doesn’t mean that the Year of the Horse doesn’t apply to you. Because, plot twist, the Chinese New Year doesn’t start until the middle of February, meaning you still have more time to sit in the Year of the Snake, and let go of any remaining little things that aren’t serving you. Many cultures celebrate the new year in the spring, a time of light and rebirth. So there’s no hurry! 

Even if you think that the Chinese calendar or astrology is a load of nonsense, let the concept of this shift from the snake to the horse be a reminder of how much you’ve achieved and overcome so far, and the power you have to wake up and live every day with intention. 

Happy New Year!