Chinese Zodiac Years
2013 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Snake
Born in 2013? Your Chinese zodiac animal is most likely the Snake, but check the date: the 2013 Water Snake year began on 10 February 2013. Here is everything about the year, from its element to its lucky colors and best matches.
2013: a Yin Water Snake year
The Chinese zodiac year 2013 was the Year of the Snake. It began with Lunar New Year on 10 February 2013 and ended on 30 January 2014, the eve of the next Lunar New Year.
Each year also has an element and a Yin or Yang quality. 2013 ends in 3, which makes it a Water year, and as an odd year it is Yin. In the traditional stem-and-branch count, 2013 is a Gui-si year. The same Water Snake combination comes round only once every 60 years: 1953 before it and 2073 after it.
Born in January or February 2013?
Lunar New Year 2013 fell on 10 February 2013, so everyone born in January 2013, and in February before that date, belongs to the previous year's animal, the Dragon.
The zodiac year starts at Lunar New Year, not on 1 January, which is why early-year birthdays need checking. Our guide Born in January? explains the rule, and the zodiac sign checker gives the exact answer for any birth date.
The Snake's personality
Our Snake guide describes the sign like this: “Wise, intuitive, and elegant. Snakes are deep thinkers who plan carefully before acting.” The usual watch-out: “Can be secretive or prone to overthinking.”
The Water element adds its own flavour. Water years bring intuition, adaptability, and calm wisdom. People of this element tend to be thoughtful, diplomatic, and perceptive. Read more in our Water element guide, or the full Year of the Snake page.
Careers often linked with the Snake: finance, research, psychology, strategy.
Lucky colors, numbers and days for the Snake
- Lucky colors: black, red and yellow
- Lucky numbers: 2, 8 and 9
- Lucky days: Wednesday and Saturday
These are the values used across this site. For a lucky color, number and time that change every day, see the daily fortune.
Best matches for someone born in 2013
In traditional compatibility, the Snake's best matches are the Ox, Rooster and Monkey, and its clash sign is the Pig, which sits directly opposite it on the zodiac circle. Our compatibility calculator compares two full birth dates, elements included.
The Snake in 2026 and 2027
2026 (Fire Horse, until 5 February 2027): for the Snake, it has no special traditional relationship with the Horse, so 2026 is a neutral year.
2027 (Fire Goat, from 6 February 2027): for the Snake, it has no special traditional relationship with the Goat, so 2027 is a neutral year. See Chinese zodiac 2027 predictions for every sign.
Other Year of the Snake years
Years of the same animal come every twelve years, each with a different element: 1989 (Earth Snake); 2001 (Metal Snake); 2025 (Wood Snake); 2037 (Fire Snake). The full list is in our Chinese zodiac years chart.
Related articles
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac is 2013?
2013 is the Year of the Snake, a Yin Water Snake year (Gui-si).
When does the 2013 Year of the Snake start and end?
It starts on 10 February 2013 and ends on 30 January 2014.
I was born in January 2013. What is my Chinese zodiac?
A Dragon: Lunar New Year 2013 was on 10 February 2013, so all of January 2013 belongs to the Dragon year.
What element is 2013?
Water. 2013 ends in 3, which belongs to Water, and it is a Yin year.
Who is the Snake compatible with?
Traditionally the Ox, Rooster and Monkey. The Snake's clash sign is the Pig.
Sources and further reading
- Hong Kong Observatory: “Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches” — the 60-part Gan-Zhi cycle used to name years, months, days and hours.
- Wikipedia: “Sexagenary cycle” — the ten stems and twelve branches, 1984 as the start of the present cycle, and the year changing at Lunar New Year.
- Farmers' Almanac: “When Is Lunar New Year 2027?” — Lunar New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, between 21 January and 21 February.
- New World Encyclopedia: “Wu xing” — the five elements and the generating and overcoming cycles.
- Britannica: Chinese zodiac — the zodiac as a classification of years in a repeating twelve-year cycle.
Traditional Chinese zodiac reading for culture and entertainment, not a scientific prediction. Year dates follow the Lunar New Year table used by our zodiac checker.
Explore more: Chinese zodiac years chart · Year of the Snake · Born in January? · Zodiac sign checker
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