Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Happy Lunar New Year! by Jenn McKinlay

Jenn McKinlay: If you're like me, the new year comes around and you're never prepared. Seriously, I am never prepared! So, decades ago, I adopted Lunar New Year as my chosen start to the new year. This has worked out really well for me and not just as an excuse to order Chinese food, although that, too, is a perk.


This is the year of the Fire Horse, combining the horse's freedom and speed with the fire element's intensity and urgency. A year of chaos and opportunity! Very exciting, I know!

For me, there are two horses in the family, Hub and Hooligan 2. While Hub was born in the year of the Fire Horse, H2 was born in the Water Horse cycle. Hooligan 1 has the coolest of years as he is the Metal (Golden) Dragon, while I am (alas) the lowly Sheep. 

My friend Xui Hai (from China) brought me a beautiful baby outfit from Shang Hai when I was pregnant with H1 and explained that he would be born in the year of the Golden Dragon and would always be lucky. 



Xui Hai then asked my birthdate and when I told her, she sighed and said, "You will always struggle, Jenn." Really, Xui Hai? Really? 

I have since discovered I'm a Fire Sheep so I hope that balances out the struggle. LOL.


The chart below is from: 
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/chinese-zodiac-years-chart.htm

to find your exact Zodiac symbol use this calculator as the lunar year starts later than the Gregorian so you can't go by year exclusively: 




Now Reds and Readers, tell me, what is your Chinese Zodiac sign and how do you feel about it?

12 comments:

  1. Happy Lunar New Year, Jenn!
    The Dragon baby outfit is adorable . . . .
    According to the chart, my sign is Ox . . . . I have no idea if being an Ox is good or bad, but I'm fine with being an Ox . . . .

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  2. Year of the Rabbit for me

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  3. How lucky for your men to all have such inspiring signs. I am going to stick with Scorpio because my Chinese Zodiac sign isn't kosher...lol

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  4. Rabbit. So is my husband. It's supposed to be a lucky sign, and we think it has been for us. We are different signs in the western zodiàc, but we once had someone do our charts, and both had predictions we would work hard in our later years. Well ... I would call learning Portuguese hard work. 🙂

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  5. I am a dragon. I consider myself to be lucky but I don’t think that it reflects my personality .

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  6. I'm a dragon, which is pretty perfect and goes well with being a double Scorpio! (Where do you find if it's Fire or Water?)

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  7. I am a tiger. 🐅 My husband is a rat.🐀

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  8. Tiger here, hub is a sheep. I love the baby outfit, what a nice gift.

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  9. Okay, so I am a dog, probably more of a Scooby-do type than a Rin TinTin or Lassie. But, Year of the Fire Horse? Why anyone would want to torch Flicka is beyond me.

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  10. That little baby outfit is so cute, Jenn! And we need some fire and opportunity this year. We know there will be chaos. I am a Rooster, I guess it fits since I get up so darn early every day! I've never really been one to crow, but cockadoodle doo to all my JRW friends.

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  11. I’m a snake. Not happy about it. But then I’m
    Also a Libra and don’t fit the description

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