Home Chinese Culture Chinese Zodiac Snake

Year of the Snake

Years of the Snake: 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025.

The Snake occupies the sixth position in the Chinese zodiac. The 12 zodiac animals are, in order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each year is related to a Chinese zodiac animal according to a 12-year-cycle.

You will get the following information on this page:

Snake Years
Lucky/Unlucky Things for the Snake
The Snake's Personality
Snake's Love Compatibility
Snake's Horoscope in 2020

Snake Years

People born in a year of the Snake are called "Snakes" in China. If you were born in 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, or 2013, then you're a Snake.

The Chinese zodiac year is usually said to start from Chinese New Year, which ranges from late January to mid February.

You can use our "Find Your Chinese Zodiac Sign" tool to find your zodiac animal sign or see the table below.

Find Your Chinese Zodiac Sign

Choose your date of birth and find out about your Chinese zodiac sign.

Snake Year	When	Type of Snake
1917	January 23, 1917 – February 10, 1918	Fire Snake
1929	February 10, 1929 – January 29, 1930	Earth Snake
1941	January 27, 1941 – February 14, 1942	Gold Snake
1953	February 14, 1953 – February 3, 1954	Water Snake
1965	February 2, 1965 – January 20, 1966	Wood Snake
1977	February 18, 1977 – February 6, 1978	Fire Snake
1989	February 6, 1989 – January 26, 1990	Earth Snake
2001	January 24, 2001 – February 11, 2002	Gold Snake
2013	February 10, 2013 – January 30, 2014	Water snake
2025	January 29, 2025 – February 16, 2026	Wood Snake

Lucky Things for People Born in a Year of the Snake

Things that will bring Snakes luck:

Lucky numbers: 2, 8, 9, and numbers containing them (like 28 and 89)
Lucky days: the 1st and 23rd of Chinese lunar months
Lucky colors: black, red, and yellow
Lucky flowers: orchid and cactus
Lucky directions: east, west, and southwest
Lucky months: the 1st, 8th, and 11th lunar months

Things that Snakes should avoid:

Unlucky colors: brown, gold, white
Unlucky numbers: 1, 6, and 7
Unlucky directions: northeast and northwest
Unlucky months: the 3rd, 9th and 12th lunar months

The Snake's Personality: Intelligent, Wise...

In Chinese culture, the Snake is the most enigmatic animal among the 12 zodiac animals. People born in a year of the Snake are supposed to be the most intuitive.

Snakes tend to act according to their own judgments while remaining private and reticent. They are determined to accomplish their goals and hate to fail.

Snakes represent the symbol of wisdom. They are intelligent and wise. They are good at communication but say little. Snakes are usually regarded as great thinkers.

Snakes are materialistic and love keeping up with the Joneses. They love to possess the best of everything but they have no patience for shopping.

Snake people prefer to work alone; therefore, they are easily stressed. If they seem unusually stressed, it is best to allow them their own space and time to return to normal.

Which Type of 'Snake' Are You?

In Chinese element theory, each zodiac sign is associated with one of the five elements: Gold (Metal), Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. For example, a Wood Snake comes once in a 60-year cycle.

It is theorized that a person's characteristics are decided by their birth year's zodiac animal sign and element. So there are five types of Snakes, each with different characteristics:

Type of Snake	Year of Birth	Characteristics
Wood Snake	1905, 1965	Orderly, intelligent, with a gift for appreciating the knowing celebrities and a refined taste
Fire Snake	1917, 1977	Smart, insightful, communicative, active, and fond of the limelight
Earth Snake	1929, 1989	Calm, with strong self-control, but not steadfast and diligent enough in work
Gold Snake	1941, 2001	Determined, courageous, confident, and able: a born leader
Water Snake	1953, 2013	Clever, creative, lively, and communicative, but sentimental

See Chinese Zodiac Snakes of 5 Elements: Characters and Destinies.

Love Compatibility: Is She/He Compatible with You?

Each animal sign has its unique characteristics. Love compatibility within the Chinese zodiac animals takes the characteristics of each animal into account. Only those whose characteristics match can be good partners.

See below the compatibility of the Snake with other animals, and find out if the Snake is compatible with your sign or not.

Best with: Dragon, Rooster
Worst with: Tiger, Rabbit, Goat, Pig

Chinese Zodiac Love Compatibility Test

Boy's Name:

Date of Birth:

Girl's Name:

Date of Birth:

The Best Careers for Snakes

Snakes are very creative and extremely diligent. Although Snakes work very hard, they have a tendency to be job-hoppers as they become easily bored. Snakes are great thinkers. Complex problems stimulate them. They're excellent problem-solvers and thrive under tight deadlines.

Good career choices for Snakes include: scientist, analyst, investigator, painter, potter, jeweler, astrologer, magician, dietician, and sociologist.

Good Health for Snakes

Snakes prefer living a peaceful life and they do not like a noisy environment. Snakes become easily stressed when their lives aren't calm or in order. Therefore, a manageable workload would be good for them rather than a challenging schedule.

Snakes need to spend lots of time relaxing. It's necessary to take vacations at the proper time. People should pay attention to the health of Snakes, especially senior members in the family.

How to Build Relationships with Snakes

People born in a year of the Snake do not have a lot of friends. It is extremely hard to get to know them because they keep their feelings locked up inside. Snakes are careful when choosing friends. They will never forgive a breach in friendship.

Once people are his/her friends, a Snake is willing to share his sorrow and happiness with them. Snakes guard their chosen friends much like valuable possessions, and they are easily jealous and even obsessive.

Snakes' Horoscope for 2020

In 2020, those born in a year of the Snake will miss out on some good things in life if they're only pursuing work.

Snakes will feel tied up because of their strong sense of responsibility, but they will be rewarded with the achievement of their goals. For Snakes, life will be meaningful, and they will be aware that life is supposed to be composed of losing and gaining.

Monthly Fortune for Snake in 2020

Is a Snake Year a Lucky Year?

The year of one's birth sign (本命年 běnmìngnián /bnn-ming-nyen/ 'origin (of) life year') is believed to be the most unlucky in the 12-year cycle. Therefore Snakes should be more careful about all aspects of their lives, including love, health, their careers and finances. Read more on How to Be Lucky in Your Ben Ming Nian.

The next Snake year is 2025. It starts on Chinese New Year (January 29).