Year of the Snake 2025: Shed Toxicity with These Flowers

By Jill Brooke

Happy Chinese New Year.

2025 is the year of the Wood Snake, a unique alignment that adds additional layers of meaning. In Daoism, the wood element signifies a return to one’s true nature, while in Confucianism, it symbolizes self-cultivation and refinement. In Buddhist thought, the wood element is associated with letting go to foster growth.

Professor Jonathan H. X. Lee, an expert in Asian and Asian American studies at San Francisco State University, highlights that the snake’s symbolism is linked to shedding toxicity, both in personality and character. “It’s shedding the ego, letting go of the past, letting go of anger, letting go of love lost,” Lee explains.

At the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in NYC, floral artists from Flowerbx created these installations and arrangements that reflect the Chinese New Year. In the main entrance were these spectacular peonies constructed with faux materials. The gold metal in the interior was both intricate and inviting. Upstairs at their famous restaurant, where New Yorkers convene for tea and lunch for the extraordinary view of the New York skyline, vases of fresh red roses and anthurium were creatively displayed. Also front and center is the hotel’s museum worthy Dale Chihuly glass sculpture of an exploding flower. (So clever that in the lobby the “root” of the flower is also displayed).  The garnet colored draping flora around the sculpture added to the theme.

According to legend, the Chinese New Year was born from the battle against a sea monster named Nian, who was afraid of the color red and loud noises. As a result, wearing red and setting off fireworks have become iconic traditions to ward off evil spirits. It is also why people create red flower arrangements.

So consider filling your home with red flowers and consider what toxicity you want to shed, and what new ideas, friends, and flowers you want to grow.

Jill Brooke is a former CNN correspondent, Post columnist and editor-in-chief of Avenue and Travel Savvy magazine. She is an author and the editorial director of FPD and a contributor to Florists Review magazine. She also won the 2023 AIFD (American Institute of Floral Designers.) Merit Award for showing how flowers impact history, news and culture