Why do millennials think the year of the fire horse will save them?

A friend was several minutes into telling me about her recent messy breakup when she paused for a moment of reflection. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter because it’s all going to be fine soon,” she said, smiling. Why’s that? “Because, it’s the year of the horse.” At first, I was confused. This friend had never before expressed the slightest interest in the Chinese Zodiac, let alone anything else remotely astrological or spiritual. But here she was, finding solace in the fact that from 17 February, we shift from the year of the snake into the year of the horse.

She’s not the only one. Since that conversation a few weeks ago, I’ve had several similar chats with other friends who’ve confided in me about their various woes – family arguments, money troubles, rental nightmares – only to tell me mere seconds later that it would all be okay because of the arrival of “the horse”.

One friend explained that the snake was all about “shedding past traumas” and leaving toxicity behind, whereas the horse is about entering the year with a clean slate and starting anew. Another is obsessed with the numerology side of it all; the numbers in 2026 add up to 10, which, added together, bring us back to one.

“It’s huge for resetting your energy,” she gushed. And a new friend told me she’s planning on casting a love spell to win her ex back, which apparently also has something to do with the horse. And the moon.

The obsession exists far beyond my own friendship circle. On social media, there are thousands of viral videos about why the year of the horse is so significant. “It’s about taking risk, rebellion, courage,” says one TikToker in a video with more than 76,000 views. “The snake is all about shedding the old layers. Renewal, cycle rebirth, and we’re going into the horse, which is creating freedom, courage, compassion, and creation.”

The letting go part seems to be captivating a lot of self-help influencers, with one claiming that she has seen people leaving behind “things that have felt especially uncomfortable, like relationships, jobs, situationships” in the run-up to the year of the horse. She continues: “I felt the urge to let go more before February begins, and I can really step into my power.”

Another TikTok user points out that this year is especially significant because it falls on the day of a solar eclipse. “This is super intense energy, and it’s going to mark an important moment in human history,” she tells her followers in a clip that has been liked more than 39,000 times. Similar sentiments have been going viral on Instagram – “2025: The Snake. Cleared your path. 2026: The Horse. Moves you forward,” reads one meme that has been liked more than 427,000 times.

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So, is the year of the horse really that big a deal? The Chinese Zodiac is made up of 12 animal signs, such as the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, and of course, our humble horse. According to Chinese astrology, the horse is defined by traits such as confidence, responsibility, and intelligence. Horses move fast and seek freedom, resenting being reined in.

According to Chinese astrology, the horse is defined by traits such as confidence, responsibility, and intelligence. Horses also move fast and seek freedom, resenting being reined in - so Fire Horse years are considered especially strong, rebellious, and energetic and sometimes even seen as unlucky for births in certain cultures, like Japan. The last Fire Horse year was 1966, which was the beginning of an era of extraordinary social upheaval. In terms of what this means for 2026, it’s all about discovering new ways of being and transformation.

Combine this with the numerology of it all, and that revamping modus operandi becomes extra potent. 2026 brings us to a Universal Year 1 (2025 was a Universal Year 9, which was about endings), which means we’ve stepped into a new numerology cycle and are starting from the beginning again. Then there’s the fire horse part of it all – every year corresponds with one of the five Chinese elements; those that end in six or seven are always fire.

“A Fire Horse year heightens the Horse’s natural dynamism,” says Ada Ooi, integrative Chinese medicine clinician and founder of 001 London. “Fire brings intensity, urgency, and passion, which can feel motivating but also demanding. This combination often creates a faster pace of life and a stronger drive to achieve, making it especially important to stay attuned to the body’s limits and energy reserves.”

As for why so many people have become invested in all this, well, it seems that anything that makes sense of an increasingly chaotic world is something to cling to. In one TikTok video, a user points out how the last fire horse year was the start of China’s Cultural Revolution, as well as when “Cold War tensions peaked, ideological divides hardened, civil rights unrest intensified,” she continues before citing a litany of other examples. Perhaps this year of the horse will be equally transformative on a global scale.

On a personal note, the idea of his new and exciting horse energy is appealing to many. “Culturally, the Horse represents resilience and drive, qualities many people naturally gravitate towards during times of uncertainty or transition,” explains Susan Gu, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and acupuncturist at London-based wellness clinic, The HVN.

“The symbolism offers reassurance and motivation, encouraging people to take initiative, trust their instincts and move forward with confidence. In this sense, it functions less as fortune-telling and more as a psychological and emotional reset.”

In a society where religion and other traditional belief systems sit at the fringes, many people still yearn for a higher meaning, if only to make sense of the world and their place in it. Enter spirituality: the beliefs, ideas, and systems that sit outside of typical Western ideologies and are becoming increasingly popular among adrift generations looking for something to cling to.

Regardless of whether you believe in the meaning of any of this, going into a new lunar year with an invigorated sense of renewal is undoubtedly a net positive. And who knows? If we believe that change is coming, who is to say it won’t be for the better? If it’s a choice between pessimism and hope, well, I know which one I’d rather choose.