Explainer | Year of the Dragon 2024: predictions, personalities and the wood element’s meaning for the next Lunar New Year
- The Year of the Wood Dragon begins on February 10, 2024 and is believed to be able to foster growth, progress and abundance
- The dragon is related to success, intelligence and honour in Chinese culture, while wood dragons are full of energy and dream of changing the world
The next Lunar New Year starts on February 10, 2024. Enter the Year of the Dragon. Or, to be more precise, the Year of the Wood Dragon.
In Chinese astrology, the 12 zodiac animals are each affiliated with an element – metal, wood, water, fire, earth – as they move around the zodiac cycle, and when an animal reappears after 12 years its elemental affiliation will shift. For example, 2012 was the Year of the Water Dragon and 2036 will be the Year of the Fire Dragon.
People born under each elemental zodiac animal sign have a unique set of personality traits that influence their lives, not unlike the concept behind the Western zodiac signs.
So what does the Wood Dragon mean?
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How will your Chinese zodiac fare in the Year of the Dragon?
Wood represents vitality and creativity, while the dragon is related to success, intelligence and honour in Chinese culture.
This combination makes people born in the Year of the Wood Dragon full of energy and drive. They dream of changing the world and are good at coming up with innovative ideas and implementing them. They are perfectionists and will not give up on their goals easily.
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Fire Dragons, meanwhile – in case you are curious – are energetic, confident and charismatic. They possess leadership skills and a spirit of adventure, and pursue their goals with courage. They are good at connecting with others and, therefore, often find success in entrepreneurship or creative industries.
Earth Dragons have a talent for building stable and sustainable development in their career and money. They are usually very focused on their goals and have good organisational and management skills.
Metal Dragons have leadership skills and business vision, are good at taking advantage of opportunities to create wealth, and have good investment intuition.
Finally, Water Dragons are compassionate and good at understanding the emotions of others, so they usually handle interpersonal relationships well and are willing to provide support and help to others.
The Year of the Wood Dragon is believed to be able to foster growth, progress and abundance, and this year will be good to build a solid foundation for something new with long-term potential. The last Year of the Wood Dragon was 60 years ago, in 1964.
That year, The Beatles took America by storm, which deeply influenced Western music development for the next half-century. The US Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Johnson.
The Soviet Union launched Voskhod 1 into Earth orbit. It was the first space flight to carry more than one person and the first without the use of spacesuits, which set an important mark for mankind to further explore the universe.
China, meanwhile, successfully carried out its first nuclear test.
The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by one animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig, in that order.
Chinese mythology has it that the Jade Emperor set up a running race for all animals to take part in. The first 12 to reach the finishing line were rewarded with a position in the lunar calendar.
