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Lunar New Year celebrations traditionally span 15 days, beginning with New Year’s Day on 29 January 2025 and ending with the Lantern Festival on 12 February 2025. This festival marks the end of the holiday season, bringing families together to celebrate and wish for happiness and prosperity in the year to come.

As the Year of the Wood Snake begins, many aim to start the year on an auspicious note by aligning their actions with the season’s favourable energies. In Imperial Feng Shui, setting intentions and commencing endeavours on carefully chosen dates is believed to harness the natural flow of good fortune, laying a foundation for lasting success. This ancient tradition highlights the importance of an auspicious start, whether for personal milestones or business goals, making date selection an essential aspect of a prosperous and harmonious year.

Key New Year Activities

Key activities, such as the commencement of work (开工大吉), spring cleaning (大扫除), welcoming deities (还神), and praying to Tai Sui (拜太岁), are essential steps in preparing for a fresh start to the year. Each of these activities has the potential to influence the year’s energy, fostering prosperity and stability. By performing these rituals at favourable times, one enhances the flow of positive energy and invites good fortune into both personal and professional aspects of life.

Guided by his mastery of Imperial Feng Shui, Master David Goh has meticulously selected auspicious dates for these key New Year activities, including the optimal days for beginning work in 2025. His thoughtful selection empowers Imperial Harvest clients to synchronize their actions with the most beneficial energies, laying a strong foundation for the months ahead. With Master David’s guidance, clients honour tradition, maximise prosperity, and start the New Year in harmony, setting a powerful tone for success and fulfilment throughout the year.

Principles of Imperial Date Selection

In Imperial Feng Shui, selecting an auspicious date for everything from major events to daily tasks is fundamental to harnessing favourable energies and fostering success. Each date is meticulously chosen, considering factors like the Twelve Officers (十二建星), Auxiliary Stars (神煞), the Five Elements (五行), lunar phases, and the nature of the activity. These carefully selected dates empower clients to set their year on a path of abundance, harmony, and fulfilment, marking the Lunar New Year as an opportune moment to embrace positive energies and celebrate new beginnings.

The Twelve Day Officers (十二建星) system is a fundamental tool in Imperial Date Selection, categorising each day with one of twelve distinct energies. Each category reflects specific qualities, making it suitable or unsuitable for certain activities. By understanding these qualities, one can choose the best day for a particular purpose:

1. 建 (Establish): Excellent for beginnings and setting foundations. It’s suitable for initiating projects, starting new ventures, or making a fresh start.
2. 除 (Remove): Ideal for removing unwanted influences, cleansing, or decluttering. It’s commonly used for spring cleaning, banishing negative energy, and eliminating obstacles.
3. 满 (Full): Best for activities that require abundance and growth. It’s suitable for ceremonies, celebrations, and actions aimed at increasing wealth or prosperity.
4. 平 (Balance): Appropriate for activities that require balance, fairness, or diplomacy. It suits negotiations, resolving conflicts, or tasks requiring a harmonious outcome.
5. 定 (Stable): Brings security, stability, and grounding. It’s ideal for making commitments, stabilizing relationships, and laying down a solid foundation for the future.
6. 执 (Hold): Good for reinforcement, consistency, and endurance. This day supports tasks that require patience, persistence, and maintaining the status quo.
7. 破 (Destruction): Typically avoided for important activities, as it can bring disruption and setbacks. It’s occasionally used for demolitions or ending toxic relationships but is generally avoided for positive actions.
8. 危 (Danger): Carries unstable and risky energy, making it unsuitable for new beginnings or major endeavours. This day is best for cautious activities or addressing small, low-risk matters.
9. 成 (Success): Known for supporting growth, achievement, and accomplishment. It’s excellent for weddings, business openings, or launching major projects, as it encourages positive outcomes.
10. 收 (Harvest): Ideal for reaping rewards, completing tasks, or consolidating resources. It’s suitable for finalizing agreements, collecting payments, and harvesting what has been sown.
11. 开 (Open): Favors new beginnings, expansion, and opportunities. This day is good for starting ventures, hosting open houses, and beginning journeys.
12. 闭 (Close): Suitable for closure, conclusion, and introspection. It’s ideal for completing projects, resting, and bringing things to an end.

In the practice of Imperial Date Selection, Auxiliary Stars (神煞) represent various energies associated with specific days, encompassing both beneficial (auspicious) and malefic (inauspicious) influences.

Each Auxiliary Star brings its unique qualities, either enhancing or potentially disrupting the day’s natural energies. By carefully selecting dates that align with auspicious stars—or avoiding those with malefic stars—one can maximise the likelihood of success, harmony, and positive outcomes while reducing risks or obstacles.

• 天乙贵人 (Heavenly Virtue Star): One of the most powerful and protective Auxiliary Stars in Chinese metaphysics. Rooted in ancient Taoist mythology, this star is revered as a divine guardian that brings guidance, support, and protection. Its presence is said to ward off malefic influences, attract benefactors, and ease obstacles, offering a unique advantage for those seeking success and harmony.
• 太极贵人 (Taiji Nobleman Star): One of the auspicious Auxiliary Stars in Chinese metaphysics, symbolizing wisdom, righteousness, and an affinity for learning. Rooted in ancient Chinese mythology, the Taiji Nobleman Star (太极贵人) represents the concept of “太极” (Taiji), or the primordial beginning, embodying the cycle of creation, transformation, and completion. It is considered a guiding force that promotes harmony and aligns with the virtues of traditional Chinese philosophy.

The Chinese Zodiac assigns each year, month, day, and hour to one of twelve animal signs, each carrying distinct energetic qualities. When selecting an auspicious date, it is essential to avoid dates that clash with the zodiac signs of individuals involved in the activity, particularly key figures like family members or project leaders. For example, a Rat Day may clash with those born in the Year of the Horse. Avoiding these clashes ensures smoother interactions and minimises potential conflicts.

2025 Auspicious Dates: Commencement of Work (开工)

The Commencement of Work (开工大吉日), or “Auspicious Day for Starting Work,” marks an important tradition in Chinese culture, especially after the Lunar New Year holiday. Businesses and individuals often select this day to return to work or resume business activities, believing that starting work on an auspicious date will invite prosperity, good fortune, and smooth operations throughout the year.

Choosing the right day for the commencement of work aligns one’s intentions with the year’s positive energies, helping to secure a successful and harmonious beginning. In Imperial Feng Shui, dates for the commencement of work are chosen based on factors such as favourable Auxiliary Stars, compatibility with the Chinese Zodiac signs of key individuals, and the energetic qualities of the day itself. This careful selection ensures that the first day back at work sets a strong foundation for productivity, teamwork, and growth in the coming year.

Master David has meticulously selected the most auspicious dates for the 2025 Commencement of Work, guiding Imperial Harvest clients in aligning with auspicious energies and starting the year on an optimistic and prosperous note.

2025 Auspicious Dates for Chinese New Year Customs

Spring Cleaning (大掃除)

The phrase “On the 28th day, clean away the dirt” (年廿八，洗邋遢) reflects a tradition of end-of-year spring cleaning, which many Feng Shui practitioners believe refreshes a household’s energy and invites positive fortune for the coming year.

Selecting an auspicious date for spring cleaning can further enhance the household’s luck. Generally, any day that does not conflict with the zodiac signs of household members is considered suitable. According to the “Tung Shing”《通勝》calendar, days marked as Completion Days (成日) or Removal Days (除日) are particularly favourable for this purpose.

Praying/Welcoming Deities (还神)

Pray to Tai Sui (拜太岁)

New Year Prayers (开年拜神)

Imperial Harvest — A Legacy of Timeless Wisdom and Innovation

Imperial Harvest embodies a legacy where ancient wisdom meets modern life, guided by Master David Goh’s deep reverence for tradition and his visionary approach. Every auspicious date selected, every ritual performed, and every handcrafted collection reflects a commitment to honouring Imperial Feng Shui’s rich heritage and evolving its practices for today’s world. Through Master David’s expertise, clients find themselves connected to centuries of sacred knowledge while receiving guidance uniquely tailored to their journeys.

At Imperial Harvest, tradition is not merely preserved; it is thoughtfully transformed, bringing relevance and resonance to those seeking prosperity, harmony, and fulfilment. Under Master David’s stewardship, each consultation becomes a bridge between the wisdom of the past and the possibilities of the future, empowering clients to navigate life with clarity and purpose.

Embark on the Imperial Harvest Journey

Embarking on this journey with Imperial Harvest means forming a lifelong relationship with Master David Goh and his expert team. They offer a comprehensive range of services, including lifetime complimentary Bazi reviews, home Feng Shui evaluations, and Qi Men Dun Jia consultations. These services will help you navigate the challenges and embrace the opportunities that the Year of the Wood Snake brings, ensuring that 2025 unfolds as a year of prosperity and success.