Chinese New Year starts on the second new moon after the winter solstice (17 February this year). Yes, it means it falls on a different date each year, but so does Easter Sunday (which, if you're interested, falls on the first Sunday on or after the spring equinox)
This is an inspirational time to start a new year. The days are getting noticeably lighter and it feels like there's some hope for the coming spring. So much more appealing than January 1st, which is an arbitrary date, not only gloomy and depressing, but a time when the worst of the winter is often still to come.
If you've already stuffed up keeping your January resolutions (which most people have, because January is horrible and far too long), it could be worth using this Chinese New Year to make some positive changes in your life. You could even try making them more interesting than simply going vegan for a month, or pledging to drink more water.
New moons are traditionally considered to be the best times for starting new projects. Amplify this with the start of the Chinese year of the Fire Horse, and it's energetically kick-arse time for stamina, growth and independence. A time to look at your life to see what needs clearing out - and what you want to cultivate.
It's also apparently a good time to take back your personal power. Having spent much of the winter in despair about the blatant lies and corruption involved in daily politics and the news, I decided to start a daily rant on X to dispel the gloom. Yes, the algorithms are against me - I have no blue tick and my aim is to bring down Elon Musk single handed, which he tends not to like. Despite this, I find shouting into the void surprisingly therapeutic.
Perhaps more positively (and sensibly), I've decided to take up opportunities that come my way this year without moaning about the effort involved and ducking out. This Tuesday (which was Chinese New Year) I went to a Banksy exhibition in London, despite the local coach taking 3.5 hours to get there and the same back, which usually I'd use as an excuse not to be arsed. As it is, I met up with a lovely writer friend and had a great time, so intend to be arsed far more often.
I'm also going to try and help the planet out a bit. Tiny things like taking plastic waste off beaches (a few manageable pieces at a time) and picking up bits of litter (I draw the line at dog poo bags) when out on a walk, rather than my customary ranting about plastics destroying the planet and people who chuck litter everywhere.
Big problems may ultimately be overwhelming but it has to be worth making an effort. Small steps to make small changes. Managing the despair. Finding some Fire Horse energy and hoping to make a difference.
And maybe I'll drink more water anyway.
Lu Hersey
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