Year of the Snake under way amid Lunar New Year festivities

Lunar New Year festivals and prayers have marked the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and further afield – including in Moscow.

The holiday – known as the Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea – is a major festival celebrated by diaspora communities around the world.

The snake, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, follows the just-ended Year of the Dragon.

In Hong Kong, hundreds of people lined up in the hours before midnight at the Wong Tai Sin Taoist temple in a bid to be among the first to put incense sticks in the stands in front of the main hall.

The pop-pop-pop of firecrackers greeted the new year outside Guan Di temple in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, followed by lion dances to the rhythmic beat of drums and small cymbals.

People holding incense sticks in front of them bowed several times inside the temple before sticking the incense into elaborate gold-coloured pots, the smoke rising from the burning tips.

“Annual movement”

Many Chinese people who work in bigger cities return home during the eight-day national holiday in what is described as the world’s biggest annual movement of humanity.

Beijing, China’s capital, has seen many shops closed and normally crowded roads and subways emptied out.

Traditionally, Chinese people have a family dinner at home on New Year’s Eve and visit “temple fairs” on the Lunar New Year to watch performances and buy snacks, toys and other trinkets from booths.

Many Chinese take advantage of the extended holiday to travel both in the country and abroad. Ctrip, an online booking agency that operates Trip.com, said the most popular overseas destinations this year are Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the United States, South Korea, Macao and Vietnam.

Russians cheered, waved and took smartphone photos of a colourful procession with drummers, costumed dancers and large dragon and snake figures held aloft that kicked off a 10-day Lunar New Year festival in Moscow on Tuesday night.

Deepening ties

The Chinese and Russian governments have deepened ties since 2022, in part to push back against what they see as US dominance of the world order.

Visitors shouted: “Happy New Year” in Russian and expressed delight at being able to experience Chinese food and culture in Moscow, including folk performances and booths selling snacks and artwork.