CNY Tips for Fire Horse 2026

~ Ser Ming

Good day to everyone!

Be warned – this is a very long post.

We are entering into the Chinese solar calendar of Fire Horse Year 丙午年 from the wee morning of 4 Feb (Wed).

This is day is known as Li Chun 立春, the Beginning of Spring.

The Day 1 of Chinese New Year that runs on the Chinese lunar calendar falls on 17 Feb (Tue).

Debunking common fear-mongering for 2026 and 2027

There have been a lot of rah-rah going on about 赤馬紅羊年 Crimson Horse (2026) and Red Goat (2027) Years.

Gossips have it that they are of strong fire and will bring disasters and conflicts. There are even practitioners dig up historical events including wars and natural disasters that happened in the previous 赤馬紅羊年 Crimson Horse and Red Goat Years as reminders.

I wonder why no fengshui masters warned about the genocide in Gaza back in 2023 癸卯年, which is Yin Water sitting on Yin Wood. Why such atrocities happened in a smooth generating 順生 year?

There are natural disasters of all magnitudes and armed conflicts of varied scales that happened all the time, somewhere around the globe. It is just whether are you so interested in geopolitics to keep yourself abreast to current affairs.

So, I never quite understand how is any fengshui masters getting kicks for able to predict world events since it is so vague that as if they are accurate. What more, predicting, usually, the omninous predicament, really seems to me nothing more than fear-mongering. There is a difference between using metaphysics to prepare onself to manage problem, micro or macro view; or being simply a doomsday theorists, which simply tell you to purchase their products or services.

Point is, both Fire Horse and Fire Goat are just part of the sequence of the Sexagenary Cycle 六十甲子. Having 2 strong Fire Years back-to-back does not mean more chaos in the world. They are to be read in context to your personal Natal Chart. If Fire is your helpful element, good for you, if not, be mindful of what Fire manifest as your Ten Gods and learn how to manage them.

Debunking common folk belief

There is a practice of deposit your money to the bank on Li Chun 立春 claiming that you will gain more wealth. This is a practice that was made popular over the last two decades. It does not have any strong metaphysics theory to support this action.

In fact, base on the theory on the power of correspodence 外應象法, the action of putting money to a machine, symbolically means wealth is detaching from you. Hence, you should carry more cash than usual on that day to symbolise you are wealthier than the year had just passed.

And since Day 1 of CNY comes after Li Chun 立春, the year is termed as Blind Year 盲年. Some folk belief that this year will be less than ideal and will discourage getting married in this year. Again, this belief is not supported by any proper metaphysics theory.

Mainstream common folk practice

24th day of the 12th lunar month, 11 Feb (Wed) is the day to make offerings to the Kitchen God 祭灶, a practice believed to have the Kitchen God giving good appraisal for the household to the Heavens. Common offerings is niangao 年糕, a sticky sweet glutinous rice cake.

Sidetrack, niangao 年糕 can taste delicious if you know how to fry them with batter that contains eggs.

It is also the day to send the deities 送神日 that you worship at home, if any, to the Heavens.

Kitchen God and any deities you worship at home is/are meant to be received 迎神日 on the 4th day of the 1st lunar month, 20 Feb (Fri).

You only receive the deities if you did send.

Tai Sui

This year’s Tai Sui is Wen Zhe 文哲. Also apparently in certain folk beliefs, you are considered to have offended this year’s Tai Sui if you have the exact same Chinese name.

Temples will advice you to offer prayers to Tai Sui should your birth year, month, date and time has any of the following zodiac sign:

  • Horse
  • Rat
  • Ox
  • Rabbit

All along, I neither encourage nor discourage making prayers to Tai Sui. However, my only advice to people who make prayers to Tai Sui is – please set your calendar to remind yourself to thank Tai Sui at the end of the year. Do not owe Tai Sui ah.

In case you are interested to know, I do not make offerings to Tai Sui.

Receiving CNY

This is another set of mainstream folk practice to receive Auspiciousness 納吉 and it actually does have proper metaphysics theories to support it. However, you can choose not to do it.

You can make prayers or meditate to a auspicious direction as the clock strikes at midnight of CNY Day 1 on 17 Feb (Tue). The prayers can be simply offering incense and candles. It does not specify in the Almanac but I was advised to choose only one auspicious star for prayers or meditation, rather than engaging with all of them. This is meant to encourage focus and avoid rushing between multiple directions.

Most importantly, there must be a window or door that connects to the exterior of the house and faces the auspicious direction. If this direction is behind your main door, the door should be opened while you are making prayers or meditating.

How did I pray or meditate?

I offered candle and incense to the direction facing an auspicious direction. Behind the candle, I wrote the name of the auspcious star to indicate that the prayers were directed specifically toward that direction.

I sat near to my offerings facing the same direction as above and meditate. You can recite mantra if you have been doing any regular mantra work. I sat with my eyes closed, observing my breathing, steadied my mind, and allowed myself to think of/visualise/daydream scenarios related to the aupicious star that I was facing.

If you are meditating, try to do at least 10 minutes.

The following are the auspicious stars with their respective directions on CNY Day 1:

  • Happiness Star 喜神 at the South
  • Abundance Star 財神 also at the South
  • Noble Star 貴神 at the East

However, there is a tricky part…

Of course I will touch about the Annual Flying Stars 流年飛星 if you have the stamina to read till the end.

Let us have a little sneak preview here, Star 5 Misfortune 五黃煞星 sits at the South, and not forgetting our Tai Sui belongs to the Horse direction which sits at the South too!

So Tai Sui and Star 5 Misfortune can follow if you are facing the South to receive Happiness and Abundance Stars. This sounds like literal 富貴險中求 wealth and honour are sought through risk.

Personally, opposing Tai Sui 沖∕面太歲 is not as bad as influenced by Star 5 Misfortune. Why? This is because Tai Sui is not a deity that punishes people; it does not actively bring trouble to those people offending it. As an auxiliary position to the movement of Jupiter 歲星, opposing Tai Sui translates to facing more hurdles. And it is not as if we have never faced with big challenges before.

However, the Star 5 Misfortune is the issue.

Hence, I will advice facing East to receive the Noble Star 貴神 instead. Furthermore, Star 8 Fortune 八白運星 sits at the East. Although there may be advanced level Flying Star enthusiasts arguing that Star 8 Fortune is losing its influence and may not as been as positive as before but it beats facing Star 5 Misfortune.

CNY Day 1

It is advisable not to travel out of house in the following timing, but if you have to, I have also included what to take note in respective timing. Also to not that the timings are adjusted to local time and not in solar time.

  • 12:10am to 2:10am, opposing Tai Sui 歲破 – avoid making rash decision, do not speed.
  • 8:10am to 10:10am, opposing Day 日破 – avoid making rash decision, do not speed.
  • 4:10pm to 6:10pm, Time surpressing Day 五不遇時 – avoid making big decision, and also perhaps not a good time to gamble.

It is advisable to avoid facing the direction for consecutively over 30 minutes when you first travel out of the house, but if you have to, I have also included what to take note in respective timing.

  • Ominous Star 噩神 at the Southeast – avoid making rash decision, do not speed.
  • Chaotic Star 五鬼 also at the Southeast – avoid making impromptu decision, do not join pranks or jokes.
  • Death Gate 死門 at the North – avoid being obstinate in conversations, do not go into argumentative mode.

Addendum on 2 Feb
There will be a solar eclipse on CNY Day 1, however, it is likely not visible in our region.

Various Auspicious Commencement Days

The following are the auspicious commencement days for various activities after CNY Day 1.

Return to work / Commence business

  • 21 Feb (Sat) – except for birth year Monkey with last digit on 0 and 2.
  • 23 Feb (Mon) – except for birth year Dog with last digit on 2 and 6.
  • 25 Feb (Wed) – except for birth year Rat with last digit on 4 and 6.
  • 26 Feb (Thu) – except for birth year Ox with last digit on 5 and 7.

Seeking wealth (can be for prayers or used as above)

  • 22 Feb (Sun) – except for birth year Rooster with last digit on 1 and 3.
  • 25 Feb (Wed) – except for birth year Rat with last digit on 4 and 6.
  • 26 Feb (Thu) – except for birth year Ox with last digit on 5 and 7.
  • 1 Mar (Sun) – except for birth year Dragon with last digit on 8 and 0.

Travel

  • 20 Feb (Fri) – except for birth year Ox with last digit on 8 and 3.
  • 22 Feb (Sun) – except for birth year Rooster with last digit on 1 and 3.
  • 25 Feb (Wed) – except for birth year Rat with last digit on 4 and 6.
  • 28 Feb (Sat) – except for birth year Rabbit with last digit on 7 and 1.

For prayers

  • 22 Feb (Sun) – except for birth year Rooster with last digit on 1 and 3.
  • 25 Feb (Wed) – except for birth year Rat with last digit on 4 and 6.
  • 1 Mar (Sun) – except for birth year Dragon with last digit on 8 and 0.
  • 10 Mar (Tue) – except for birth year Ox with last digit on 7 and 1.

🎇 Other Folk Commemoration Days (🌙lunar calendar)

23 Feb (Mon) 正月初七 Human Day 人日
Supposedly mankind’s creation day. It is common to eat Yu Sheng 魚生 on this day in Singapore and Malaysia.

25 Feb (Wed) 正月初九 Jade Emperor 玉皇/天公誕
Prayers to Jade Emperor Tee Gong as always been a cultural more than a religious activity.
Some practice would make prayers in the midnight and it will start in the late night on 24 Jan (Tue).

3 Mar (Tue) 正月十五 Yuanxiao Festival 元宵節 / Heaven Official Commemoration Day 天官大帝誕
Yuanxiao Festival marks the last day of CNY celebration. It is celebrated by eating glutinous rice balls. Some places celebrate by releasing lanterns 天燈 into the skies.
Heaven Official is a senior tier Deity in the Taoist Pantheon and is the source for the greeting 天官賜福 literally Heaven Official bestows blessings.

６ Mar (Fri) 正月十九 Entrance Earth Deity Commemoration Day 門官土地誕
Entrance Earth Deity differs from the Earth Deity within residential and commercial space.. Entrance Earth Deity is the Earth Deity guarding at the main entrance of a space. This commemoration day is more apparent to business owner, especially retail space, to attract business.

7 Mar (Sat) 正月二十 Fortune-Attracting Page Commemoration Day 招財童子誕
Probably a lesser known Deity in Singapore. A good day to make wealth related prayers.

🧭Annual Flying Stars 2026

A full Annual Flying Stars is to be read in pair to one’s House Flying Stars or Monthly Flying Stars for full comprehension of the influence that can have for people active at relevant sector.

In practice, I only advice the dealing on Star 5 Misfortune 五黃煞星 and Star 2 Sickness 二黑病星 and only matters if the sector has a window or at the main entrance. Also if your main entrance faces Star 5 Misfortune 五黃煞星 and Star 2 Sickness 二黑病星.

The following are the the influence of the Stars in brief:

  • Star 1 Officer 一白官星 sits at the Center.
  • Star 2 Sickness 二黑病星 sits at the Northwest – To hang 6 emperor coins at eye level of window or door. In a more advanced level of Flying Star, Star 2 is gaining influence as the Star 9 is in command, hence Star 2 may not be as negative as what Fengshui world has been describing for the past many decades.
  • Star３Conflict 三碧斗星 sits at the West.
  • Star 4 Academic 四綠文星 sits at the Northeast.
  • Star 5 Misfortune 五黃煞星 sits at the South – To hang 6 emperor coins at eye level of window or door.
  • Star 6 Wealth 六白財星 sits at the North – In a more advanced level of Flying Star, Star 6 is losing influence as the Star 9 is in command, hence Star 6 may not be as positive as what Fengshui world still describes.
  • Star 7 Thievery 七赤賊星 sits at the Southwest.
  • Star 8 Fortune 八白運星 sits at the East – In a more advanced level of Flying Star, Star 8 is losing influence as the Star 9 is in command, hence Star 8 may not be as positive as what Fengshui world still describes.
  • Star 9 Happiness 九紫喜星 sits at the Southeast.

Have a Healthy and Wealthy Year of the Crimson Horse!

Thank you for reading this far. This concludes my CNY tips for you.

The Almanac Monthly Forecasts will be sent separately. Those who have received them or will be receiving them may notice some changes in the content. I would appreciate your feedback, so I know whether the forecasts are helpful or if there are areas you would like me to cover.

Till then!

Best regards,
Shifu SiMing 思明師傅
abodeoflight.com
IG@abode.of.light