Chinese New Year celebrations begin - Thousands of believers welcome the beginning of the Year of the Snake
Thousands of people around the world celebrated the Lunar New Year on Wednesday, observing the traditions and rituals associated with it. This year marks the year of the snake and is widely celebrated in Asia.
Thousands of citizens flocked to Beijing's Lama Temple on Wednesday, January 29, to celebrate the first day of the Lunar New Year, burning incense and praying for more luck.
Chinese New Year is a major holiday in many Asian countries and their diasporas around the globe. Also known as the Spring Festival, it is a roughly two-week holiday that marks the first day of the Chinese calendar year.
Each Chinese New Year revolves around a 12-year cycle and is associated with an animal in the Chinese horoscope, which is then paired with one of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. This new year marks the year of the wood snake.
While its origins are in China, Chinese communities in countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore also celebrate with similar traditions.
The days leading up to the new year are spent thoroughly cleaning homes to remove the bad luck of the previous year. Decorations dominate the space, including lanterns, paper cutouts, and fresh paint, all in bright red, which also promotes good luck. Celebrations begin with a family dinner on New Year's Eve.
Instead of following the Western Gregorian calendar with 365-day years, Chinese New Year follows a lunar calendar based on the 12 phases of the moon. Each phase cycle spans approximately 29 days with the full calendar lasting about 354 days.
According to the Gregorian calendar, the Lunar New Year, which lasts from the first new moon to the next, generally falls in late January or early February.
Snakes in Chinese mythology are not manifestations of evil as they are in Western cultures. People born in the year of the snake are seen as charismatic, intelligent, and artistic, but they are also often considered cunning and mysterious.
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