People gather at temples and on streets to socialize, set off fireworks, eat traditional food, light incense, and pray for the new year.
I don't need to wish for anything specific, just hope for a frictionless, peaceful, safe, and healthy year and that everything goes well, says 36-year-old Chen Ching-Yuan, who visits a temple in Taipei with her mother during the day, to AFP.
In China, the New Year is the biggest holiday of the year, celebrated with over a week's leave. Airports and train stations have been packed for weeks as millions of people head home to celebrate. This year's New Year's travel is expected to break records with a total of around nine billion trips between provinces, reports the state news agency New China according to AP.
The snake is one of twelve destiny-determining animals in Chinese astrology. According to Feng Shui expert Thierry Chow, the snake brings more instability than its predecessor.
The snake, with strong elements of fire combined with a little metal and earth, is a zodiac animal that can cause significant conflicts and clashes. We must be vigilant for accidents in the snake's year. The overall atmosphere in the world will become somewhat more chaotic, she says to CNN.
The date of the Chinese New Year varies between the end of January and the middle of February. This year, it falls on January 29.
The New Year is the biggest festive holiday in the Chinese calendar and is celebrated grandly. Many visit temples, children receive gifts, and families and relatives gather to eat dinner and socialize. Homes are cleaned to get rid of the old year's misfortunes.
Each Chinese New Year is characterized by one of twelve animals that exist in Chinese astrology. 2025 is the snake's year, the sixth animal in the cycle.
People born in 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025 were born in the snake's year.
