WYOMING — Wednesday, Jan. 29, marks the 2025 Lunar New Year, or the beginning of the lunar calendar. The date also marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, which inspires an annual 16-day celebration.
This will be a year of the Snake, according to the Chinese zodiac. While snakes are not an animal typically associated with this corner of Wyoming, a few species do live here. According to Grand Teton National Park, three (non-venomous) species of snake live near the park’s waterways: the wandering garter snake, the valley garter snake and the rubber boa. In Yellowstone National Park, visitors might spot the bullsnake and the prairie rattlesnake, too.
Countries in Asia that celebrate the Lunar New Year include China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. In Korea, Lunar New Year is called Seollal; in Vietnam, Tet; and in Tibet, Losar. Also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, it is considered the most important holiday in China.
The wood snake
The Chinese calendar is on a 12-year cycle, with each year linked to one of a dozen animals: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. The Lunar New Year marks the transition of these zodiac signs.
Recent years of the Snake include 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965 and 1953. It will roll around again in 2037.
According to Chinesenewyear.net, the snake represents calmness and introspection, and those born during these years are known for their wisdom, intuition and mystery. Snakes are celebrated for their strategic minds, problem-solving abilities and communication skills.
One of the five earthly elements (metal, water, wood, fire and earth) is assigned to each occurrence of the zodiac signs; this year will be the year of the wood snake. According to Vogue, the wood snake enhances compassion and empathy, and portends a year of hope, romance, vitality and artistry.
Chinese New Year
In the past, the University of Wyoming Chinese Student and Scholar Association has hosted a Chinese New Year celebration. Wyoming Public Radio’s Naina Rao interviewed students at the University of Wyoming about their experiences.
The exact origin is unknown but historians date the first Chinese New Year back some 3,500 years ago. During the Shang Dynasty, people held sacrificial ceremonies in honor of gods and ancestors at the beginning of the end of each year. The date of the festival, the first day of the first month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, was fixed during the Han Dynasty.
In the Wei and Jin dynasties, apart from worshiping gods and ancestors, the celebrations shifted toward entertainment. The customs of a family getting together to clean their house, having dinner and staying up late on New Year’s Eve originated among common people and is still a part of traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.
In 1912, the Chinese government abolished the Chinese New Year and the lunar calendar, adopting the Gregorian calendar. The official start of the new year was moved to Jan. 1.
In 1949, the Chinese New Year was renamed the Spring Festival and became a national holiday. During the Chinese New Year celebration, people can be seen wearing red, which represents prosperity, happiness and luck, protecting those who wear red from misfortune and the unknowns of the new year.
Marked by the new moon, the festivities last 16 days until the full moon, which is celebrated with the Festival of Lanterns.
Festival of Lanterns
The Festival of Lanterns falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar year and the first full moon of the year. This year the full moon and Festival of Lanterns is on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
At the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Hanmingdi was an advocate of Buddhism. He heard that some monks lit lanterns in the temples to show respect to Buddha on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. He ordered that all temples, households and royal palaces should light lanterns for the full moon. The custom evolved into the festival celebrated to this day of lighting and appreciating lanterns, decorated in traditional Chinese symbols and imagery. The lantern festival holds cultural, spiritual and historical significance.
Dancers perform the traditional lion and dragon dances during the festival, to ward off evil and pray for good fortune and safety. In Chinese culture, the lion is a symbol of bravery and strength and was thought to drive away evil and protect people and their livestock.
This article runs annually.
