In these final days of the Wood Dragon year, the moon looks different to us. Are those new rover tracks we see?
Maybe it’s because a year ago, Japan became the fifth country to land spacecraft on the lunar surface. In June 2024, China retrieved samples from the moon’s far side, announced plans to send astronauts to the moon by 2030, and promises to build a base at the lunar south pole by 2035.
Sensing a disturbance in the force, we reached out via email to Hong Kong-based astrologer and spiritual counselor Letao Wang for some insight into what is about to unfold as Year of the Wood Snake commences on January 29, 2025.
Wang (@letaowang / @thekingdomhealer) is the founder of The Healing Kingdom and the creator of oracular card-decks based upon ancient myths.
In case you’re more solar-oriented, Lunar New Year begins with the first new moon of January and ends with the first full moon of the month 15 days later. Calling it “Chinese New Year” is short-sighted since Lunar New Year is celebrated all over Asia, Japan being a notable exception. The celebration is sometimes also called the Spring Festival.
The key takeaway from astrologer Wang: “Letting go of the past and shedding old skin.”
Snaky Sensibilities
“The Year of the Wood Snake brings a significantly different energy compared to the preceding Year of the Dragon,” said Wang. “While the energy of the Dragon is characterized by power, ambition, control, focus, and responsibility, the Snake embodies a more Yin quality, encouraging introspection, contemplation, and healing to achieve wisdom and fulfillment.”
“The Wood Snake, in particular, emphasizes careful planning and a thoughtful approach, requiring patience and strategy rather than impulsiveness. On a global scale, this shift signifies a transition from aggressive expansion and bold actions to a period of calculated growth, where collaboration and foresight take precedence over risk-taking and grand gestures. Additionally, the influence of the Wood element introduces a sense of renewal and sustainability, encouraging attention to long-term goals and environmental harmony, contrasting with the fiery and fast-paced nature of the Dragon,” says Wang.
“The Year of the Wood Snake in 2025, according to the Chinese Astrology, symbolizes intuition, wisdom, and transformation,” says Wang. “Snakes are often associated with deep thinking and a calm demeanor, and the year 2025 is expected to carry an energy that encourages introspection and strategic planning. It is a time for shedding old habits or patterns, much like a snake shedding its skin, paving the way for renewal and growth. The snake’s graceful and mysterious nature can inspire focus and resilience, making 2025 a year of profound personal and collective development. Balance and patience will be key themes throughout this period.”
Focus on healing and self-reflection. The snake, often seen as a dangerous creature, also symbolizes healing, as its organs have been used for centuries in herbal medicine and antidotes. This duality reflects the path to healing, which requires us to confront our past and make peace with our wounds in order to reach completion.
“Balance and patience will be key themes throughout this period.“
“The element of wood symbolizes a growing tree, reminding us to be deeply rooted and grounded so that our branches can reach far and wide,” adds Wang. “This is a year to embrace practical wisdom over theoretical knowledge or empty words. Just as a young sprout matures into a magnificent Sequoia, slow and steady progress will help us achieve our goals.”
Okay, we’re down. As we go to press, we’re stocking up on exfoliate scrubs, and deleting scads of names from our contacts folder. No birthday card, for three years running? Buh-byeee!
The Chinese zodiac superficially resembles the 12 sun-signs observed here in the west, but not really. Chinese astrology designates each of its 12 signs by birth-year, while western astrology determines your sign by the month of your birth. Our western zodiac assigns each of the 12 signs one of four elements, earth, water, fire or air, and that element is fixed, permanently associated with a given sun-sign.
By contrast, the Chinese zodiac operates on a cycle of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. To visualize the concept of the Chinese zodiac, picture two clockwork wheels turning simultaneously. Each sign repeats every 12 years, each duo-decennial appearance landing on the next of the five elements in the queue, thus creating a 60-year cycle.
Here in the west, a Scorpio is always, always a Water sign (read: intuitive, emotionally fluent, sensitive-verging-on-psychic, poetic, especially vicious when betrayed). However, a person born in a Monkey year is influenced as much by their element as by the archetypal animal associated with their birth-year. A Fire Monkey differs significantly from a Metal Monkey, and so on.
To find your Chinese zodiac sign, locate your birth-year in the chart below:
So where can you experience the full spectrum of Lunar New Year? At the Sierra Madre Playhouse, of course, where the Year of the Snake will be celebrated with performances in nearly every stagecraft medium. And yes, there will be Lion Dancers!
Celebrating the Vastness of Asian Cultures
Just as there are so many ways of being Asian and Asian American, there are so many ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year. So we checked in with multiculti maestro Matt Cook, Artistic and Executive Director for Sierra Madre Playhouse, who says “Through this festival, we aim to honor the unique stories and traditions within the Asian America community while also inviting audiences to reflect on the shared values and celebrations that unite us all. While Lunar New Year may not be celebrated in every Asian culture, our programming underscores the broader narrative of connection and the power of storytelling across borders.”
We later caught up with Pasadena resident composer and multi-instrumentalist Chad Cannon who founded the Asia / America New Music Institute (AANMI) “…as a form of bridge-building. As classical musicians from differing backgrounds, we’re excited to collaborate and uncover commonalities and breadth.” As we go to press, Cannon shared that some of the moon-inspired music for the February 1st performance, including a composition called “Eclipse,” is still being composed. At the Sierra Madre Playhouse gig, Cannon and Stephanie Yu will perform on violin, with Hui Wu on piano, Niall Taro will be featured on cello and Chris Stoutenborough on clarinet.
A practice which defines his group’s unique perspective: composers are always present in the concert hall or wherever their pieces are being performed to gauge audience response. This transparency is essential to the interactive and collaborative ethos of AANMI.
As a Japanese-speaking Western artist with an abiding love for Japanese culture – his ensemble was originally called Japanese American Institute for New Music – Cannon good-naturedly admits that sometimes learning about cultural and social differences may be a bit cringe-y.
Not cleaning up the green room after a gig, for instance.
“In Japan, everyone picks up other people’s trash, all the time. It doesn’t matter where the trash came from. People who attend a public event just pick up all the trash in the stadium after the show. There’s no discussion, even. If it’s there, of course it has to be picked up.” Luckily, Japanese culture is based on an almost supernatural level of politeness, especially to strangers.
A bit later, we chatted with Ave Jacinto, one of the three founders of Kayamanan Ng Lahi. Now celebrating its 34thyear, the nonprofit’s name translates to “treasures of our people,” with empowering transformation being the goal of the Philippine folk and dance arts organization. Four key principles guide KNL: Katiwala (stewardship), Kalinagan (culture), Kapwa (shared identity) and Galang (respect).
Jacinto says, “Culture is a living thing, always in motion. Without movement, it will die, and it will be lost. With this in mind, we present folk adaptations of beloved traditional material. The material culture moves and changes, and so we create accessible experiences that are personally authentic to the performers and the audience, here and now. This allows the audience to engage and interpret the experience however they wish.”
She adds, “Preserving history accurately is important. But our ancestry is strong and deep, and so we welcome new things.”
The morning program planned for Sierra Madre Playhouse will consist of several scenes, beginning with “Awakening” danced with shields and swords, an invocation for cleansing, strength and protection. The second scene, called “Illumination, Dance of Light,” evokes fireflies, celebrating grace and balance. Jacinto says “This was traditionally danced with lighted oil-lamps balanced on the hands and heads of the dancers. But now we use LEDs.”
The dancers use their lights and graceful scarves as beacons “…to call ships at sea to come home,” says Jacinto.
A showstopper: the dance from the Bagobo cultural community of the Southern Philippines called “Lawin Lawin” which translates as “Eagle Eagle.” Flight, growth and spirit are the motifs here as young eagles play in the moonlight, portrayed by male dancers wearing wooden wings. The performance will culminate with the popular bamboo-pole dance known as “Tinikling,” referencing the agile movements of birds among the reeds.
Jacinto adds that an all-new dance program is now being planned for May, which is AAPI month.
If you frequent The Barkley, you may have vibed to the groove of the Eric Ching Quartet, who will bring their cool-jazz drum stylings to the Playhouse in early February. We chatted with San Fran native Ching, now living in K-Town, as his gig approaches.
In addition to composing and performing, this young Asian-American artist explores the quintessentially American form of jazz by authoring guides on drumming technique, including “The Melodic Jazz Drummer.”
He’s also a resourceful entrepreneur who has recently patented a sock-stretcher and a clever over-the-sink dish brush stand. Ching laughs, “I know, s-o-o-o-o-o-o random, right?”
Although we love the fact that his name, E. Ching, sounds like that of the Taoist Book of Changes divination manual, Ching’s the first to say “…there are very few Asian Americans in jazz. But I was so lucky to discover the jazz bass genius Akira Tana, and I followed Akira all over the Bay Area once I realized that jazz seemed like a possible career. It was huge to be so young and to actually learn from this total badass New Yorker who jammed with Dizzy Gillespie and all the greats, as a firsthand source.”
The Eric Ching Quartet versions of Through the Grove (above) and Never Will I Marry (below).
Audio: Eric Ching Quartet
He’s clearly underwhelmed by the approach of the Wood Snake, and as for the red bean cakes, “Well, I’m lactose-intolerant now, so hard pass.”
DEETS
- Sierra Madre Playhouse
- 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, 91024
- Box office: 626-355-4318
Listed below are seven events specifically curated by and at the Sierra Madre Playhouse in celebration of Lunar New Year, each providing a unique lens on Asian and Asian-American presence in our robustly polyglot culture:
- THEATRE: Saturday, January 25, “Patsy.” East West Players present this play about the life of iconic Patsy Mink, first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first Asian American woman to serve in Congress. 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Tickets: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?actions=4&p=18
- FILM: Friday, January 31, “The Curse of Quon Gwon,” historic silent film circa 1916. Earliest-known Chinese American feature film, and one of the first American films directed by a woman of any ethnicity, Marion E. Wong. Only two reels survived, rediscovered in 2005. Will be accompanied by live piano, as in days of old. 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM. Tickets: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?actions=4&p=15
- FAMILY FUN: Saturday, February 1, Lion Dance and kid-friendly marionette workshop. Presented by the East Wind Foundation which engages and empower at-risk youth, and players from the irrepressible Bob Baker Marionette Puppet Theatre. 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Tickets: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?actions=4&p=12
- MUSIC: Saturday, February 1, “Lunar Harmonies,” Asia/America New Music Institute. Explores the intersections of Asian and American cultures through music inspired by the moon. 7:30 PM. Tickets: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?actions=4&p=9
- DANCE: Saturday, February 8, the Kayamanan Ng Lahi Philippine Folk Arts troupe presents “Pagdiriwang,” folk adaptations of rich Filipino cultural traditions reflecting 150 distinct villages, tribes, languages and communities, some with contemporary twists. 11:00 AM. Tickets: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?actions=4&p=7
- JAZZ DRUM: Sunday, February 9, composer and jazz percussionist Eric Ching (@ericchingdrums) brings chill modern sensibilities to the skins with compositions like his “Shades of You,” which he describes as “herky-jerky,” inspired by LA’s traffic. 7:30 PM. Tickets: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?actions=4&p=4
- MUSIC: Wednesday, February 12, “Musikaravan” featuring violinists Etienne Gara and YuEun Kim with cellist Stella Cho, founders of the freewheeling, road-tripping trio, Delirium Musicum. 7:30 PM. Tickets: https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org/lny
- DRAMA! DIVA ALERT! : Tim Dang directs Terence McNally’s “Master Class,” inspired by the volatile, vulnerable prima donna (literally, no shade) Maria Callas who died suddenly, mysteriously, and tragically young. February 14 through March 9. Times vary. Tickets: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=259983
