Lunar New Year Celebrations Welcome the Year of the Wood Snake Across Asia

Over a billion people mark the Lunar New Year with traditional festivities, record travel, and hopes for renewal in the Year of the Snake.

The Lunar New Year, beginning January 29, 2025, transitions from the Year of the Wood Dragon to the Year of the Wood Snake, symbolizing wisdom, renewal, and transformation.
In China, eight days of public holidays see millions traveling home in what is expected to be a record-breaking migration with over 9 billion trips projected during the 40-day festive period.
Traditional celebrations include lion and dragon dances, temple visits, family feasts, and the exchange of red envelopes containing money, with modern adaptations like digital transfers gaining popularity.
Countries across East and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Thailand, and South Korea, observe the occasion with unique customs, while snowy weather disrupts travel in parts of South Korea.
The festivities extend globally through diasporic communities and even to space, where Chinese astronauts sent New Year greetings from the Tiangong space station.