Well and Good3 Ways to Celebrate the Year of the Snake

GOOD ADVICE by ALEXIA BRUE FEBRUARY 5, 2013

This Sunday, February 10, 2013, marks Chinese New Year and with that, we enter into the Year of the Snake. Don’t worry, it’s a “small dragon” of a year, making it less intense than 2012, explains Judith Wendell, a feng shui expert and founder of Sacred Currents, an integrative design firm.

“This year will be marked by conflict, flexibility, and has the potential for co-operation and countries and people working together,” she says.

Wendell takes Chinese astrology into account when designing and clearing spaces for her clients, which range from restaurants like Candle 79 and high-end spa hotels to celebrity (and civilian) homes. So we asked her what we can do at our homes and in our lives to insure good fortune this year and stay on the snake’s good side.

Here are three ways to welcome the Year of the Snake:

1. Celebrate While fireworks have their time to shine in July, it’s not too soon to light them. “Firecrackers are traditionally used to scare off evil spirits and they also symbolize renewed hope for the future,” explains Wendell.

2. Eat What’s a celebration without food? But pass on the cupcakes, and reach for a kumquat. They’re believed to bring good luck. So eat and gift kumquats to start the New Year off right. (And hey, they’re loaded with vitamin C!)

3. Clear “It is a good idea for all of us to ‘clear house’ both physically and metaphorically,” says Wendell. This means pay down that credit card bill, resolve any rifts with a loved one, and tie up any other loose ends before the New Year begins. —Amy Eley