Lunar New Year celebrations begin Wednesday. Here's everything to know about the 2025 Lunar New Year, the Year of the Snake.

Firecrackers, parades and prayers marked the Lunar New Year as millions around Asia and farther afield celebrated

Asian American communities around the U.S. and around the world are ringing in the Year of the Snake Wednesday, including in New York City. The Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival,

It’s the Lunar New Year! As of January 29, 2025, we have officially entered the Year of the Snake. Lunar New Year — which includes Chinese New Year, Seollal in Korea, Tet in Vietnam and more — begins on Wednesday, kicking off more than two weeks of celebrations.

The Chinese zodiac corresponds to various years people were born, and each animal is believed to influence the lives of people born in that year. The Year of the Snake is seen as one of renewal and regeneration and aligns with people born in 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 and 2025.

Wisps and clouds of smoke rose into the air at Buddhist and Daoist temples around Asia on Wednesday as people lit incense to pray for good luck in the Year of the Snake.

This year, Lunar New Year begins today, Wednesday, Jan. 29, and ends Feb. 12. Lunar New Year, also widely regarded as Chinese New Year since the late 19th century when it gained global recognition through Chinese immigrant communities, is a centuries-old tradition rooted in the lunar calendar.

Lunar New Year festivals and prayers are marking the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield

Many Chinese 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.