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Peter Edgerton
Friday, 20 February 2026, 11:37
If you have a natural tendency towards being a lazy lump of lard, fear not, I bring good tidings. All those New Year resolutions that you swore to keep to if God would only release you from the purgatory of your Boxing Day hangover may have mysteriously disappeared into the ether as January succumbed to February but all is not lost, you have another opportunity: the Lunar New Year is being widely celebrated as I write. Just tell God you got your dates wrong and have another, less half-hearted, crack at the gym. He'll understand.
This festival is what, as youngsters, we always called the Chinese New Year and what would cause us to cringe with embarrassment annually as we watched a clip of parading lions and dragons on the six o'clock news and remembered that we'd wished Mr Lui in the chip shop a Happy New Year on January 2nd. Yet again. He never once complained though; he just used to smile and ask if we wanted salt and vinegar on our chips with curry sauce. Of course we did.
2026 is the year of the horse or, more pertinently, the fire horse. This, apparently, is pretty intense stuff. Anyone born in the year in question will be destined to have a strong personality, filled with charisma, drive and streak of rebelliousness, all of which may or may not be a euphemism for a selfish bossy boots. It's unclear.
It's quite good fun to look up which animal corresponds to your birth year and the pertinent personality traits. Apparently, mine's the Water Tiger which, let's face it, looks a bit contradictory at first glance. Tenacious but a bit wet, would be my appraisal. A deeper dive gives us a more rounded picture, however. Let's leave out the good bits and go straight to the 'challenges': 'impulsive, prone to mood swings and overly competitive', according to the first random website I clicked on. Well, the first two would apply to 90 per cent of everyone I know and the last one is definitely not true - just ask my old football manager.
Next year, 2027 corresponds to the Fire Goat which, it's said, will bring a blend of gentle, creative energy and passionate fire. The corresponding 12 months will, accordingly, witness a focus on artistic expression, compassion and social harmony.
The last one looks like a bit of a long shot to be honest, but I have faith. Water Tigers are innate optimists, apparently.