The people of Taiwan will soon be celebrating the Lunar New Year. On January 29, 2025 families across the island will usher the Year of the Snake with fireworks and feasting — and maybe a drink or two — before enjoying a well-earned rest lasting several days.
During this holiday period, the offices and factories that drive Taiwan’s economy will stayed closed. However, all international-quality hotels and resorts, the majority of restaurants, every convenience shop and department store, and almost all tourist attractions will be open, so if you plan to be here there’s no danger of getting hungry or being bored. If you have local friends, there’s a good chance you’ll be invited to accompany them as they visit relatives and offer incense in temples.
The traditional culmination of the Lunar New Year season is Lantern Festival (in Mandarin Chinese: Yuanxiao Jie). In addition to a host of local events, the national-level Taiwan Lantern Festival will this time be held in Taoyuan, not far from the international airport where most of Life of Taiwan’s esteemed clients begin their customised private guided tours of the island. As in previous years, the festival will include pyrotechnics, artistic performances, and lanterns of every size and shape.
Just as people in the West know their zodiac sign (and perhaps believe that it influences their personality and destiny), almost every person of Han Chinese descent can tell you with which of the twelve Shengxiao (Chinese zodiac) animals they’re associated. Following the snake, they are (in order): horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, and dragon. Particular ‘animals’ are said to be more career-focused than others while some should avoid relationships with certain others at all cost.
What does the year ahead hold for you?
If you know which Chinese zodiac ‘animal’ you were born under, you may be interested in the following predictions:
Even though it’ll be the Year of the Snake, snakes should brace themselves for work and financial challenges; they should pay careful attention to their health and avoid negativity if they’re to navigate 2025 successfully. By contrast, horses can look forward to a stellar year! Fortune-tellers say they’ll find success in both love and work, thanks to their great charm. Also in for a good year are goats, who (it’s forecast) will ‘effortlessly attract wealth and recognition, with a steady flow of finances and a thriving career… bringing you both success and satisfaction’.
Noted for their unpredictability and adaptability, the world’s monkeys are likely to have a decent year, with ‘new connections and major breakthroughs’ so long as they receive support from those around them. If they can show dedication and persistence, 2025 could be an excellent year for roosters, in terms of meaningful relationships as well as making money. The next twelve months will be rewarding for dogs, who can ‘expect pleasant surprises’.
Staying calm will be important to pigs as they encounter challenges in their relationships. For rats, it could be a promising year if they can turn their sharp thinking and unique ideas into successful decisions, it perhaps being an auspicious time to go it alone in business. The Year of the Snake won’t be spectacular for oxen but nor will it be unusually difficult; hard work and a sense of responsibility should bring consistent progress in the important aspects of life.
Life won’t be all plain-sailing for tigers, who are advised to keep their heads even when those around them are losing theirs so they can overcome any obstacles that come their way. It’s a different story for Earth’s rabbits, as one prediction says they’ll enjoy ‘a breakthrough year… as things fall into place easily… hard work is creating a strong foundation for future success’. Finally, for dragons it’s shaping up to be a year ‘full of positivity, success, and financial stability’. Good for them!
Whether fortune-tellers say 2025 will be a banner year for you or twelve months of frustration, there’s never a bad time to visit Taiwan. It’s truly a fascinating destination, awash in fascinating cultures and fabulous landscapes. Contact Life of Taiwan today and begin planning the Taiwan private guided tour of a lifetime!