Snake strengths in tradition
- Wise and perceptive
- Calm and composed
- Strong intuition
- Elegant and discreet
2013 Chinese zodiac: Year of the Water Snake
The 2013 Chinese year ran from Sunday 10 February 2013 to Thursday 30 January 2014.
Its sign is the Yin Water Snake: 癸巳 (Guǐ-sì) in the 60-year cycle.
Born 1 January – 9 February 2013? Then you belong to the previous Chinese year: the Water Dragon of 2012.
Chinese New Year or Lichun?
Most calendars change the animal at Chinese New Year. Four Pillars (BaZi) astrology starts the year at Lichun, the Start of Spring, instead. For births around the turn of the year the two counts differ:
- 4 February 2013 (Lichun day): by Lichun, Water Dragon before 00:13 China time and Water Snake from then on; by Chinese New Year, Water Dragon.
- 5–9 February 2013: Water Dragon by Chinese New Year, Water Snake by Lichun.
Dates and times in China time. The Chinese zodiac calculator converts them for your birthplace and shows both counts.
The Water Snake in Chinese astrology
A Water Snake is associated with depth and intuition, perceptive about people and flexible in its methods.
The Snake is the sixth Chinese zodiac animal, associated in tradition with wisdom, intuition and a calm, private grace. Water is the element of depth and adaptability, linked in Chinese tradition with winter, intuition and quiet wisdom.
Snake challenges in tradition
- Slow to trust others
- Can be secretive
- Holds on to grudges
- Reluctant to share feelings
Traditions, not predictions. The Snake in love and at work · The five elements
Other Snake years
The Water Snake every 60 years
← 2012 Water Dragon · 2014 Wood Horse → · All years 1900–2100
Questions and answers
What Chinese zodiac is 2013?
2013 is the Year of the Water Snake (yin Water, 癸巳 Guǐ-sì), from 10 February 2013 to 30 January 2014. Anyone born 1 January – 9 February 2013 belongs to the previous Chinese year, the Water Dragon.
What element is 2013 in the Chinese zodiac?
Water, in its yin form: the year’s Heavenly Stem is 癸 (Guǐ). Water years are years ending in 2 or 3 – counted by the Chinese year, which begins in late January or February.
I was born in January or early February 2013 — which animal am I?
If you were born before 10 February 2013, the date of Chinese New Year, your sign is the Water Dragon of the 2012 Chinese year; from 10 February 2013 on, it is the Water Snake. Four Pillars (BaZi) astrology counts from Lichun instead (4 February 2013, 00:13 China time).
When was Chinese New Year 2013?
It was on Sunday 10 February 2013 (China time). The next one, on Friday 31 January 2014, began the Year of the Wood Horse.