Wood accompanied the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac year beginning on February 10, 2024.
The 2024 year is commonly called the Year of the Wood Dragon. Chinese zodiac years combine one of twelve animals with one of five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The animal cycle repeats every twelve years, while the animal-and-element combination repeats every sixty years.
The 2024 Lunar New Year began on February 10 in the Gregorian calendar. The zodiac year ended before the next Lunar New Year, which began on January 29, 2025. This is why people born in January 2025 generally belong to the preceding Dragon year rather than the Snake year.
The element is part of traditional calendrical symbolism. It does not describe a scientific property of people born during that year, and different popular interpretations may assign varied personality meanings to Wood Dragon years.