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Every new year carries an atmosphere, an energetic load we absorb and channel, though rarely pause to reflect on beyond the first week of January. Explosive in its nature, our enthusiasm for 12 months of endless opportunities to pivot our paths tends to have the lifespan of an unsentimental, short-lived fruit fly.
The consensus across our social media FYPs is that the past year felt sluggish, gritty, and steeped in a low-grade angst. Granted, the state of world affairs could account for much of the above, but what if we were to look to the ancient Chinese Lunar calendar for perspective?
Chinese Medicine is taking social media by storm, and its community of practitioners is nothing but welcoming of our curiosity on topics like energy balancing, nutritional shifts, and skin-care glow-ups. If you’ve purchased an XL-sized bag of jujube dates recently, you’ll know precisely what we’re talking about.
But what about resorting to the promising prospect of an energetic reset aligned with the Lunar New Year?
The Snake ruled the year preceding the Horse – and will probably reign over our energetic momentum at the time you read this. Culturally, Snake years often coincide with a heightened sense of introspection and an energy that favours strategy over speed. The beautiful aspect of the illustrative element of naming Lunar Years after the different animals is that it’s easy to envision what each of them embodies.
Many experienced the past year as heavy or dense, not because nothing was happening, but because transformation was occurring quietly beneath the surface. And just like its namesake, the Snake, the last year did not rush change; it merely prepared the ground for it. Alas, if the recent months have felt heavy with the burden of some serious soul-searching, the upcoming Year of the Horse is set to shift the focus outward.
Beginning on 17 February, 2026 and running until 5 February 2027, this period is built on a sense of forward momentum and radical decisiveness. Where previous cycles may have asked for patience or endurance, this one calls for almost unapologetic levels of bravado. Much like the majestic animal itself, we are being ushered toward independence, personal sovereignty, and the harnessing of raw vital energy, which many of us may have kept burning low and slow.
Paris & Shanghai-based Chinese medicine food therapist, Zoey Gong, explains that as 2026 is a Yang Fire Horse year, it carries the qualities of vigorous growth, rapid movement, and expansive upward energy. In other words, it is a year for ticking off personal milestones and doing so in high volume. With that in mind, such intensity may also indicate volatility. “It’s a great year for accomplishing things that you’ve been wanting to do,” Zoey tells GRAZIA. “But it may also indicate potential volatility; just imagine a fiery horse in full gallop”.
Now is not the time to act from fear, as that is when one loses control. Steering with a steady hand and meeting whirlwind moments with an equally steady mind becomes paramount.
To prepare for the new year, Zoey begins with a deep cleaning of her immediate surroundings – home, office, and wherever else you might be spending your days – and advises us to do the same. Decluttering, releasing unnecessary excess, polishing the belongings we cherish, and even rearranging furniture become a physical translation of energetic recalibration. Mental and emotional clearing often begins when one’s environment feels tidy and fresh. When our living spaces are aligned, Feng Shui is optimised, and we leave luck very little choice but to work in our favour.
Nutritionally, in preparation for this particularly fiery, extreme Yang energy, the focus shifts toward nourishing the Yin, clearing the “Heat,” and calming the “Shen.” In Chinese medicine, Shen refers to the spirit and consciousness, reflected in the brightness of the eyes and overall vitality.
With this in mind, Zoey’s advice leans toward hydration, a more balanced relationship between work and rest, and intentional self-care. More practically, warm herbal teas made from lily bulbs, sour jujube seeds, and seasonal fruit can become a gentle morning ritual, not only on 17 February, but as an ongoing anchor throughout the year.
There is also a strong physical component to Horse energy. This is not a year to live entirely in the mind. Cognition flourishes when we are exposed to travel, dance, long walks, and the thrill of the new – physical motion helps unlock mental clarity. When life feels stuck in a Horse year, the answer is rarely more mental gymnastics; it lies in the simplicity of movement.
Harnessing this year well means cultivating emotional responsiveness rather than rigidity and gently challenging ourselves. Plans may shift quickly, opportunities may appear without warning, but the most successful approach is to remain prepared to move. Minimalism helps, and the decluttering mindset may well extend throughout the year.
Stylistically and culturally, Horse years make space for bolder expressions of identity. Personal style becomes more instinctive, and there is a gravitation toward silhouettes that allow freedom of movement and psychological lightness. The mood leans toward liberation rather than restraint, and our now-minimal, recently decluttered wardrobes become a canvas for exploring, emotional and otherwise.
Above all, the Year of the Horse reminds us that life is not meant to be observed from the sidelines. It begs for active participation, for grabbing life by both hands. Momentum builds through what we actually do, not what we mean to do.
If the Horse is about movement, the year that follows – ruled by the humble Goat – will be all about integration. After velocity comes sensitivity; after bold action comes reflection. Goat energy is associated with creativity, empathy, and the refinement of our values.
Together, the sequence feels flawless in its calibration – the trifecta of introspection, supercharged momentum, then finding a meaning to it all. It’s a wonderful reminder that progress is rarely linear, and that each energetic chapter of our lives exists to prepare us for the next.
