2013 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Snake

2013 is the year of the Water Snake (癸巳 Guǐsì), from 10 February 2013 to 30 January 2014. Anyone born in 2013 before 10 February 2013 belongs to the Water Dragon year.

• Animal: Snake
• Element: Water (Yin)
• Cycle name: 癸巳 Guǐsì, year 30 of the 60-year cycle
• Starts: 10 February 2013
• Ends: 30 January 2014

The Water Snake

Water years are traditionally linked with adaptability, perception and communication: the element that finds a way around any obstacle. The Snake is the zodiac's thinker. Tradition describes Snake people as wise, intuitive and composed, elegant in manner and private about their plans. They watch before they move and usually know more than they say.

Born in January or February 2013?

Anyone born from 1 January to 9 February 2013 belongs to the Water Dragon year of 2012. From 10 February 2013 the Water Snake year begins.

How the dates are worked out

Each Chinese New Year here is worked out from the sky, not copied from a list. A lunar month starts on the day of a New Moon in China Standard Time (UTC+8, or Beijing local time before 1929). The month holding the December solstice is the 11th month. When 13 New Moons fall between two of those months, the first month with no principal solar term (the Sun reaching a multiple of 30 degrees) is a leap month. New Year is the first day of the 1st month, which is why it moves between 21 January and 20 February. New Moons and solar terms follow Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms. The rules follow the Chinese calendar.

2012: Water Dragon · 2014: Wood Horse · All Snake years · All 12 animals