The Lunar New Year kicks off on Jan. 29, 2025. Here's what to know about the year of the Wood Snake, from the personality traits to the various Snake elements, according to Chinese metaphysics consultant Vicki Iskandar.

While Taylor Swift is a Sagittarius in Western astrology, she's an Earth Snake in Chinese astrology. Here's what her Chinese zodiac birth chart says about her, according to astrologer Lisa Stardust.

Across the world, hundreds of millions of people are welcoming the Year of the Snake as they celebrate the Lunar New Year with fireworks, family time and festive dances. In north and Southeast Asia, from China to Indonesia,

The Lunar New Year marks the beginning of spring and the new year on something called the lunisolar calendar. That's a type of calendar historically used in China that uses the moon and the sun to determine dates.

There are generally three types of calendars: the Gregorian calendar, the lunar calendar, and the lunisolar calendar. Each one is used by different cultures and regions around the world to mark time and important events.

To welcome the year of the snake, Tet Fest celebrates with authentic food, music and dances. From Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, the Mary Queen of Vietnam Church in the Village de L'Est of New Orleans East, the state's largest Vietnamese community, transforms into a culinary wonderland, offering traditional fare like pandan waffles and pho.

On Saturday, the Nassau County Office of Asian American Affairs will host a Lunar New Year’s celebration at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post in Brookville. Among other cultural exhibits, visitors can view Chinese calligraphy and sugar painting.

The Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is a traditional Asian celebration that has been observed in for thousands of years. Every winter, Asian communities around the world ring in the Lunar New Year with carnivals, food, family gatherings, parades and more.

Lunar New Year is widely celebrated in Asian societies of the world that were within dynastic China's sphere of influence, or have large Chinese populations. It's why South Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore celebrate, but Japan does not. The day before the first new moon of the year is like Thanksgiving.

Wednesday marks the start of Year of the Snake, with the new year based on the lunisolar calendar and celebrated in tandem with a new moon.

It's the first time New York students will have the day off for the Lunar New Year since a new state law was signed in 2023. In 2024, the holiday fell on a Saturday.

Rochester area schools, and those around the state, are off on Jan. 29 to celebrate a holiday for the first time.