The National Museum of Asian Art indicates the Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China, where a 15-day celebration incorporates age-old traditions in commemoration of the nation’s culture and history. It also has a global footprint, and celebrations in various countries commemorate this unique event that heralds the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar.
One notable tradition associated with the holiday involves animals. That tradition is traced to an ancient Chinese poem that told the story of 12 mythical animals that descended from the heavens in a particular order.
The rat was the first animal to arrive and help celebrate the coming spring, and the pig was the last to make its presence known. Each Chinese New Year commemorates a different animal from that ancient poem, which is why celebrations are often characterized as “Year of the (Name Animal).”
Chinese New Year celebrants will commemorate the Year of the Snake in 2025. According to National Museums Liverpool, the snake is wise and intense. It emphasizes physical beauty, which is why it’s often associated with vanity.
Travel China Guide adds that the snake carries meanings of malevolence, cattiness and mystery, but also notes that some in China believe a snake found in a courtyard is an omen of good luck. In addition, Chinese mythology characterizes the creator of the world as having a human head and the body of snake.
Compatibility is another notion associated with the animals of the Chinese Zodiac that feature so prominently in New Year celebrations. The snake is considered most compatible with the rooster, which the poem suggests was the tenth animal to descend. The pig (12th) is considered the least compatible animal with the snake.
In 2025, the Chinese New Year begins on Wednesday, January 29.
