China welcomes Year of the Snake

On January 29, the Year of the Dragon comes to an end in China and the Year of the Snake begins. The dragon dance, performed around the Chinese New Year, is said to bring good luck. The Lunar New Year festival lasts 15 days and is China's most important traditional festival.

The snake, the sign for 2025, is considered to be cultivated, wise and intelligent. Each year is assigned to a new animal sign in the Chinese calendar. Twelve different animal signs alternate. Besides the snake and dragon, these are the rat, buffalo, tiger, hare, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

These workers in Beijing are installing red lanterns, which are traditional festival decor. The Western new year on December 31 is subordinate in China, which instead celebrates the New Year according to the lunar calendar. According to this calendar, a new year always begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice — in calendar terms, this is between January 21 and February 20.

As in the West, the new year is celebrated with fireworks in China, especially in the countryside. However, for safety reasons, fireworks have been banned in large cities. Firecrackers are also set off during the traditional Yingge dance, in which dancers sprint out of a temple. The new year is also known as the spring festival in China.

High-speed trains are ready to transport travelers to the new year celebrations in Nanjing in eastern China in mid-January. Many Chinese people travel very long distances across their vast country to spend the holiday with their families. It's often the only family reunion of the year.

Hundreds of millions of people are on the move during this festive period, like these passengers at a train station in Beijing. The annual travel rush in the country of 1.4 billion people is considered the largest annual migration of people in the world, and is known as chunyun.

According to legend, the mythical beast called Nian terrorizes China on the Lunar New Year but is scared off by red and gold colors and loud noises. This is why many Chinese people decorate their homes in these colors or wear gold jewelry, like these bangles.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated worldwide, especially in countries where many Chinese people live. This includes Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam. This worker in Hanoi is arranging red incense sticks. The color red is said to drive away evil spirits and stands for luck and prosperity.

To mark the upcoming turn of the year, these Chinese women have dressed up in traditional costumes. The traditional Chinese calendar dates back almost five millennia and is more than twice as old as the Julian or Gregorian calendar.

The Lunar New Year celebrations end on the 15th day of the new year with the so-called Lantern Festival. This mermaid in Indonesia is placing a lantern in an aquarium at Sea World Jakarta. The Year of the Snake will last until February 17, 2026, about 12 and a half months on the Western calendar. After that, it's time for the Year of the Horse.