With Lunar New Year just days away, the countdown is on to gallop into the Year of the Fire Horse — seen as one of the most high-voltage combinations in the Chinese zodiac cycle.
The fire horse last appeared in 1966, and combines two extremely dynamic symbols in the calendar.
There are 12 animals in the zodiac, and five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal and water — meaning each animal-element pairing appears just once every 60 years.
"The fire is kind of a symbol for energy, rushfulness, and the symbol for horse will be meaning energy, vitality, speed and passion," Fan Shengyu, an associate professor at the Australian National University School of Culture, History and Language, said.
"It's one very particular year in that 60 year cycle. It's very special," he told SBS News.
Pan Wang, associate professor of Chinese and Asian Studies at the University of New South Wales, said fire and horse represent very similar qualities.
"If you put these together, it's like a double fire," she told SBS News.
"That will certainly symbolise vitality, passion, this full energy and high speed, courage."
What to expect from the Year of the Fire Horse
Each Chinese zodiac animal is associated with both positive and negative traits.
For the horse, Wang said, the flip side includes high tempers, restlessness and impulsivity, and being difficult to harness or rein in.
She said this year, people are encouraged not to hesitate when making decisions, and to embrace the traits of the horse.
"Basically, this is a year that rewards fearless courage, dedication and punishes indecision, hesitation or impassiveness," she said.
"Just ride the horse and ride the momentum, and do not hesitate too much and complete the journey."
How will people around the world be celebrating?
This year, Lunar New Year falls on 17 February. Many celebrations will take place the night before, with festivities continuing for around two weeks — though the length of the holiday varies in different countries.
Millions of people celebrate Lunar New Year worldwide. While it has deep roots in Chinese culture, it's observed in different and unique ways across many East and Southeast Asian communities, and may be known as Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), Seollal (Korean Lunar New Year) and Tết Nguyên Đán (Vietnamese New Year).
It's a time for families to come together and share symbolic foods, embrace traditions, exchange wishes for good fortune and celebrate spring and a new beginning.
Some other common traditions include letting off fireworks and putting up decorations and symbols of the animal of the year.
In many cultures, it's considered good luck to wear red to mark the occasion, and to gift red envelopes containing money.
This year, however, some may opt to wear calmer shades like white or blue to balance the intensity of the fire horse.
"When you're having too much yang, you want some yin to balance that," Pang said.
"You need some water as well when there are too much fire."
Fire horse lore and idioms
The fire horse holds strong meanings in many Asian cultures.
In Japan, there was a dip in the birth rate in 1966. The dip was said to be associated with a superstition that women born in the year of the fire horse would have fiery and uncontrollable temperaments that would not be suitable for marriage.
"I don't believe the majority of the younger generation will uphold that belief," Pang said.
"All of these are evolving and changing."
There are numerous idioms associated with both fire and the horse in Chinese culture, she noted, compared to many of the other zodiac animals.
Some of these include:
- Lóng mǎ jīng shén: Literally "dragon-horse spirit", this refers to vigorous energy and vitality.
- Shí wàn huǒ jí: Translated, this means "one hundred thousand fires urgent". Idiomatically, it's said to indicate something is extremely urgent.
- Mǎ dào chéng gōng: Success upon the arrival of the horse.
- Mǎshǒu shìzhān: Follow the horse's head.
- Yī mǎ dāng xiān: One horse takes the lead.
- Mǎbùtíngtí: The horse does not stop its hooves.
- Shuǐhuǒ bùróng: Water and fire cannot coexist.
Jin Han, director of the Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University, said horses were considered "critical in winning battles" in ancient Chinese history.
"That is also why horses are so important to success, and also we have so many idioms in Chinese about horses," she told SBS Chinese.
She noted the popularity of the saying "mǎ dào chéng gōng".
"Basically it means, upon the arrival of a horse, the success is secured," she said.
"So the year of the horse will be a year of success."
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