Galloping into the Year of the Fire Horse

Xīnnián kuàilè! (pronouncedshin-nyen kwai-luh)

Since switching BIG Media’s editorial focus from North America-centric to global, we have attracted a lot of readers in China.

So, it makes sense that I pay more attention to Chinese customs, including new year celebrations.

And as good fortune would have it, it appears that this should be a good year for me.

In Chinese zodiac terms, today is the first day of the year of the Fire Horse. The last such year was 1966, the year in which my wonderful mother (who turned 85 on the weekend) gave birth to me.

It is still technically your year if you are a fellow horse born in 1978, 1990, 2002, and 2014, but only those born in 1966 get the fire element.

I don’t mean to brag (says someone who is always about to brag), but that means I am tied for the oldest Fire Horse in the world. Not even the UK’s dear Ethel Caterham, the oldest verified living person on planet Earth at 116, can compete with me. The previous Fire Horse year was 1906, and she was not born until 1909. Sorry Ethel – better luck next time.

ChatGPT’s summary tells me that a Fire Horse is known for being:

• Wildly energetic
• Independent
• Bold and rebellious
• Fast-moving and unpredictable

The next 365 days, my pal Chat tells me, will be a year of “big change”.

Given that the company I run is called BIG Media, it clearly will be a big year for me and my team.

The BIG change that I will pursue this year with every ounce of my wildly energetic, bold, rebellious Fire Horse self is to bring people together by helping them better understand the world in which we live.

Put simply, we are one race. The human race.