Born in 2013: the Snake
A Yin Water Snake 🐍
Snakes are deep thinkers who plan quietly and rarely waste a move. They are perceptive about people and financially shrewd. As a Water-element year, 2013 adds a adaptable, perceptive and persuasive streak to the usual Snake character.
The 2013 lunar year ran from February 10, 2013 to January 31, 2014. If you were born on or after February 10, 2013 you are a Snake; if you were born earlier in 2013, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Dragon.
What the Water element adds
Water is the element of winter, depth and adaptability. A Water year makes an animal more intuitive and persuasive, better at reading people and bending around obstacles rather than confronting them head-on.
The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Water Snake year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 2013 was 1953, and the next is 2073. People born in it are said to combine wise and private with the element's adaptable nature. Its Yin/Yang polarity is fixed as Yin for every Snake year. See the Water element and the full Water Snake profile.
2013 at a glance
| Animal | 🐍 Snake (蛇) |
|---|---|
| Element | Water |
| Polarity | Yin |
| Best match | Monkey |
| Hardest match | Pig |
| Lucky numbers | 2, 8, 9 |
| Lucky colors | red, light yellow, black |
Snake compatibility
In the traditional chart, a 2013 Snake gets on best with the Monkey (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Ox and Rooster. The hardest pairing is the Pig, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Snake compatibility table.
Your zodiac years
The Snake returns every 12 years, so someone born in 2013 is back in their own zodiac year in 2025, 2037, 2049, 2061 and so on. Tradition calls this your běnmìngnián — despite being "your" year, it is thought to clash with Tài Suì (the God of Age) and to carry a higher chance of setbacks, so many people wear red through it for protection.
Other Snake years
1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 2025 2037
Full Snake personality profile → Snake compatibility with every sign →
Know your exact birth date? Use the calculator for your full combination →
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac sign is 2013?
2013 is the year of the Snake (Water Snake, Yin polarity). Anyone born on or after February 10, 2013 is a Snake; a birthday earlier in 2013 belongs to the previous sign, the Dragon.
What element is the 2013 zodiac year?
2013 is a Water-element year. Water is the element of winter, depth and adaptability. A Water year makes an animal more intuitive and persuasive, better at reading people and bending around obstacles rather than confronting them head-on.
Who is a 2013 Snake most compatible with?
Best matches are the Monkey (the "secret friend"), plus the Ox and Rooster. The hardest match is the Pig.
Is 2013 a lucky year to be born in?
Chinese tradition does not rank whole years as lucky or unlucky to be born in — every animal has strengths and weaknesses. The one combination widely treated with caution is the Fire Horse, and 2013 is not a Fire Horse year.