Lunar New Year 2025: The Year of the Snake

With more than one billion people worldwide celebrating Lunar New Year, it is one of the most significant celebrations in many East Asian cultures. From Beijing to Havana, the holiday - known as Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam, and Tsagaan Sar in Mongolia, Seollal in Korea - began on Wednesday, January 29, ushering in the Year of the Wood Snake. Though the snake may have a bad reputation across many Western cultures, the animal is actually a celebrated and revered sign across the Eastern hemisphere. This year is expected to be one of positive transformation as people slither into new beginnings - if they're willing to move on. According to Jonathan H. X. Lee, an Asian and Asian American studies professor at San Francisco State University, this year is all about "shedding toxicity in personality, in character traits. It's shedding the ego, letting go of the past, letting go of anger, letting go of love lost. This is the year where that kind of growth - personal and macro, internal and external - is very much possible."

The origins of Lunar New Year date back over 3,500 years to the Shang Dynasty. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honor ancestors and deities, mark the beginning of the agricultural season, and celebrate renewal. According to legend, the mythical beast Nian would terrorize villages until people discovered that loud noises, bright lights, and the color red could drive it away - leading to many of today's festive traditions. During the Han Dynasty, the festival became more formalized, incorporating rituals and feasts. Later, under the Tang and Song Dynasties, cultural elements such as dragon and lion dances, firecrackers, and red envelopes became integral to the celebration.

Lunar New Year celebrations can last for up to 15 days, culminating in the Lantern Festival. Some key traditions include:

• Reunion Dinner: Families gather on New Year's Eve for a lavish meal featuring lucky foods like dumplings (symbolizing wealth) and fish (representing abundance).
• Red Envelopes: Elders give money in red envelopes to children and unmarried adults as a gesture of luck and prosperity.
• Fireworks and Firecrackers: These are set off to ward off evil spirits and welcome the new year with joy.
• Spring Cleaning: Homes are cleaned before the new year to sweep away bad luck and make room for good fortune.
• Decorations: Red lanterns, paper cuttings, and calligraphy featuring auspicious phrases adorn homes and streets.

The Wood Snake in 2025 represents intelligence, renewal, and adaptability, different from previous Snake years under other elements like Water or Fire. The wood element holds profound meaning across the three major organized Chinese religions. In Daoism, the wood is a sign of returning to one's natural state or true nature, while in Confucianism it symbolizes becoming a more polished person. In Buddhism, it is associated with letting go for growth. This year is expected to bring a focus on growth, strategic planning, and deep thinking. It is a time to embrace wisdom, adapt to change, and seize opportunities. As people worldwide ring in Lunar New Year 2025, the celebrations will continue to bridge tradition and modernity, uniting families and cultures in joyous festivity. Gong Xi Fa Cai! (Wishing you prosperity!)