These days, many people have some awareness of the Asian zodiac. This is especially true for people who hang out in online places (like Hive!) where we have exposure to cultures all over the world. But just for the sake of making sure we are all on the same level, let's give a brief overview.

In the Asian zodiac there are twelve animals and these are assigned to years. Just as a week is a series of seven days forever repeating, this Asian zodiac cycle is twelve years forever repeating, with a different animal for each year. I believe there is some slight differences in the animals from country to country, but they are all fairly similar.

Traditionally this system followed the lunar year and many countries (like China) still do, so technically it isn't the animal year until the lunar New Year, but some other countries (like Japan) simplify this and consider all of the Gregorian calendar year to be the animal year. This is a distinction that probably doesn't matter to anyone except people who take this system very very seriously.

As these things go, it's more complex than that. Each year also has an element and animals and elements combine for a super-cycle of 60 years, which as you might expect turns out to be a fairly important number for people in many Eastern countries.

So here we are. Twelve year cycle of animals repeating indefinitely, and 60 year super-cycle of five elements being assigned to these animals. With that background info, let's move on to...

2025

2025 is a snake year. If you hang around with my #silvergoldstackers buddies, you probably already know this, as we have already been inundated with snake zodiac coins. Judging by how many dragon coins we got for 2024, this will only get worse from here.

What's more, 2025 is Wood Snake (木蛇). Now what does that mean? Well, first off, before we jump too far in, keep in mind this is all somewhat silly. On Hive we like to always say "this is not financial advice", well, this post is not astrological advice. I can't speak for the rest of Asia, but in Japan most people don't really believe in these predictions and traits, rather they just have fun with them. It is with that attitude that I write this post. That is to say, think of this less as a cosmic forecast and more as an exploration of a fun cultural tradition.

That in mind, what are some of the traits of Wood Snakes? The combination of wood and snake embodies intelligence, creativity, and the ability to adapt while staying focused on meaningful goals. More concretely, Wood Snakes are said to:

1. Have a focus on growth: With Wood as the element, 2025 is likely to be a year of progress, innovation, and building strong foundations.
2. Have an eye for strategic opportunities: The Snake’s energy promotes careful planning and thoughtful decision-making, which can lead to successful outcomes for those who approach challenges methodically.
3. Be especially skilled at harmony and relationships: The combination of Snake and Wood energy favors resolving conflicts and fostering deeper connections.
4. Have financial prudence: The Snake’s cautious nature encourages saving and investment over risky ventures, making it a good year for long-term planning.

Whatever all that means, right? 😃 Predictions of this nature are usually written in a way that anyone can see some truth to them regardless of the situation.

Let the Past be our Guide

The previous snake year (which was Water Snake) was in 2013. What happened in 2013...

• Edward Snowden Revelations: Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked classified information, exposing global surveillance programs.
• Pope Francis Elected: Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope and the first from the Americas.
• Typhoon Haiyan: One of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, struck the Philippines, causing immense devastation.
• Nelson Mandela Passed Away: The anti-apartheid revolutionary and former South African president died at the age of 95.
• Bitcoin Explodes: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies gained significant attention, with Bitcoin surpassing $1,000 for the first time.

These events echo the Snake’s traits—2013 saw the unearthing of secrets (Snowden) and transformative leadership (Pope Francis). That last point may be of particular interest on Hive. Will we see a repeat of that this Snake year? It first passed $1k back then, while it passed 100k slightly before the snake year, will it really explore with the new year?

How about the previous Wood Snake, which was 60 years ago in 1965.

• Vietnam War Escalation: The United States significantly increased its involvement in the Vietnam War, deploying combat troops to the region.
• Two big Civil Rights Movement events in the U.S.:
  • The Selma to Montgomery marches, including Bloody Sunday, drew attention to racial injustice.
  • The Voting Rights Act was signed into law, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting.
• Two big Space Race events:
  • The Soviet Union launched Alexei Leonov, who performed the first spacewalk.
  • NASA launched the Gemini 4 mission, featuring the first American spacewalk.
• Immigration and Nationality Act: The U.S. passed this landmark legislation, abolishing immigration quotas based on national origin.
• Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival, marking a pivotal moment in music history.
• The Beatles performed at Shea Stadium in New York, one of the first large-scale rock concerts.

The first few points—Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement—there might have had the biggest impact. And now we find ourselves with another big war in the world, the mess in Ukraine, as well as some big social problems in the U.S. Could we see any repeats here?

Moral to those lists is that both 2013 and 1965 were years of significant transformation and conflict. They brought major social, political, and technological changes, fitting the Snake’s traits of deep transformation and wisdom. The Wood Snake year of 1965, in particular, emphasized growth, revolution, and foundational changes—symbolic of Wood’s association with development.

Ok, enough of that silliness. Like I wrote above, kind of fun, but nothing to get too obsessed about. So, I mentioned coins above. Let's look at some of the Snake coins that we have available so far!

Snake Coins

I really like these from the Perth Mint :

Get it here

and a gold version

Get it here

Both of those have King Chuck on the other side, by the way.

From France, I really like this one:

Get it here

There is a gold version too!

Get it here

From Tokelau, we have:

Get it here

And there are many many more—already. So let's just cut off with my favorites. I really like the French coin design.

Anyway, there we go, all about the Wood Snake next year and some coins. As we get closer to 2025, it’s fun to think about what lies ahead. Will it bring the growth, harmony, and progress of a Wood Snake year—or surprises we can’t yet foresee? Let’s keep an eye on the signs!

Any questions?

❦

LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.