The Year of the Fire Horse

By Gordon Hopkins Tuesday saw the kick off for the Lunar New Year, better known to the western world as Chinese New Year despite being celebrated all over Asia, not just in China.The Chinese Zodiac features 12 animals and every year is represented by a different animal. Last year was the Year of the Snake, the year before was the Year of the Dragon, etc. This year is the Year of the Horse.But this year is not just any horse. Occurring only once every 60 years, 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse. This is a big deal. At least, I assume it is.So, what exactly is a fire horse? Well, the Chinese Zodiac isn’t just about animals. It also has ten symbols representing the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. (I feel like the band made the right call sticking with just “Earth, Wind and Fire”). So, while each of the animals of the Zodiac comes around once every 12 years, the elements come around every two years. It’s kind of like one of those two-dial chore wheels. If you ever had to share a house or apartment with multiple roommates, I bet you remember when the most annoying and sanctimonious roomie created a chore wheel and stuck it on the fridge. The big dial had the list of chores and the little one had the names of the roomies, which he was always having to change because someone was always moving out, probably because the chore wheel roomie was just so irritating to live with. (I’ll take the damn trash out tomorrow, Alan! – Sorry, I just had a roommate flashback).Anyway, the specific paring of fire and horse happens once every 60 years. They say the animal you were born under influences your life and your personality. For example, I was born in the Year of the Goat, so I think there may be something to it. I am led to believe horse and fire occurring together results in amplifying the horse's natural independence with fire's dynamism. I’m not sure what that means since I’m not really an expert on Chinese Astrology, so I decided to consult a source that is: Forbes magazine. According to Forbes, “In East Asian astrology, a “Fire Horse” year is said to produce women of extraordinary spirit—brilliant, independent, and unafraid to defy convention.”Women often accuse men of being afraid of strong women. There might be something to this. The last time there was a Year of the Fire Horse, 1966, certain parts of Asia, most notably Japan, also saw a significant drop in births.Experts also say the Year of the Fire Horse will bring intense and fast-paced changes both to your personal life and on the global stage. So, what are we in for?All we can do is look to that last one for a hint. Here is a partial list of what the year 1966 gave us.TV: The debut of cultural-transforming television shows “Batman,” “Star Trek,” “The Monkees” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Music: The Beatles’ last concert. The Beach Boys' releases “Good Vibrations.” Aretha Franklin signed with Atlantic Records.Movies: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, “Fantastic Voyage”, “Fahrenheit 451”, “Our Man Flint”, “Dracula Prince of Darkness” and “Godzilla vs the Sea Monster.”Spaghetti Westerns: I know I already did movies but 1966 was an especially good year for the western genre, including “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, “Django”, “A Bullet for the General” and “The Big Gundown.”Sports: Willie Mays broke the National League home run record. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in the first-ever AFL-NFL World Championship Game, aka Super Bowl I. Jack Nicklaus won the Masters Tournament for the third time, becoming the first player to win in consecutive years. The original FIFA World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, was stolen and later found by a dog named Pickles.War: While the war between India and Pakistan ended with the signing of the Tashkent Declaration, the war in Vietnam was ramping up. Honestly, I am not a believer in astrology. And yet, just in case, I am preparing for this year to be a wild ride.

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