Because the Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar, it doesn’t fall on the same date every year. This complicates matters for people born in January or February, who can’t assume they were born in the corresponding animal year.

When I began writing this column, a person had to pick up a paper placemat at a Chinese restaurant in order to discover what animal year he or she was born in. By assiduous study of a placemat in a Chinese restaurant years ago in Houston, I learned that I was born in a Pig year. This doesn’t sound too good on the face of it, but a person born in a Pig year is generally referred to as “the noble Pig.” We are known to be compassionate and loyal.

The 12 Chinese horoscope animals are, in order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Every 12 years your animal year will come around again.

Of course, it gets more complicated than that, because it is inscrutable, but that’s the gist of it.

Five elements influence the Chinese zodiac: Wood, Earth, Water, Fire and Metal. This is a Wood Snake year. The next Snake Year will be in 2037; the next Wood Snake year will be 2085, 60 years from now. This is determined by multiplying the 12 animal signs by the five elements.

I was born in a Fire Pig year. My great nephew Henry was born the year I turned 60, and he is thus a noble Fire Pig, just like me. I would tell Henry, but I’m not sure how he would take it.

Another good resource tool for me has been a feng shui book on how to organize your home, which unfortunately I can’t find, but you can now learn everything you need to know by Googling “Chinese Zodiac.”

Chinese astrology is all about luck. People have odd ideas about what is lucky. My husband, a construction contractor, once fell from a roof, thus sustaining a hernia, and another time shot a nail through his hand with a nail gun. On both occasions, his friends couldn’t congratulate him enough on his good fortune. The construction industry has many such opportunities for good luck.

Ordinarily, to be in your own animal year, or Ben Ming Nian, is considered unlucky. This bad luck is called fan Tai Sui. It is the wrath of the Tai Sui, a terrifying body of energy that for some reason gets infuriated with people during their Ben Ming Nian year.

But don’t worry. Fan Tai Sui doesn’t really matter this year or last because, as the zodiac’s most fortunate sign, the Dragon is always lucky, come what may, and for some mysterious reason, 2025 has been designated lucky for Snakes as well.

Traditionally, one way to protect yourself from evil spirits and bad fortune in your Ben Ming Nian year is to wear red underwear every day for the entire year. Stylish red underwear and socks are produced for the Ben Ming Nian market by Chinese lingerie manufacturers.

There are many amulets and charms for specific luck problems. You can’t just go to an on-line Chinese good luck charm site and order anything that takes your fancy, however. No way! For example, I am drawn to certain carved dragon figurines, but, as a Year of the Pig person, I can’t take the chance of placing a dragon in my home. When it comes to lucky talismans, “Few Pig households can withstand the Dragon,” according to my feng shui book.

Here is a summary of what I gleaned about the Snake personality from the “China Travel guide” online.

“Strengths: Snakes are sophisticated, and also eloquent, which makes them humorous … When coming across problems, they can remain calm and rational. Their innate sense and insight make them grasp every possible chance. They are good at making decisions and determined to fulfill plans.

“Weaknesses: Suspicious, stingy, lazy … like to gossip behind, and even create rumors. They go to jealousy easily. They will go against people who are more excellent than them but not learn from others … Romance … they are quite possessive, which makes others feel depressed.”

Some famous Snake Year people: Mahatma Gandhi, Taylor Swift, Mao Zedong, Pablo Picasso, Xi Jinping, John F. Kennedy, J.K. Rowling, Bob Dylan.

Good luck, and happy New Year!

(Martha Allen, of Keene Valley, has been writing for the News since 1996.)