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The first day of the Chinese New Year falls on January 29 this year. Also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, the festival marking the advent of spring is widely celebrated in China and several East Asian countries.
Families traditionally gather during this time to share sumptuous meals, while children are often given money in red packets known as “hong bao.”
The start of the Lunar Year also sees the rotation of the Chinese zodiac that runs over a 12-year cycle, each represented by an animal.
There are several stories explaining the zodiac: One legend goes that the Jade Emperor — an important Chinese deity — had invited all the animals to a “great race,” with the first 12 winning his favor.
The 12 who made it in order of appearance are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
Chinese people celebrating the year of the snake in 2013Image: Chen Chao/Color China Photo/AP/picture alliance Famous snake personalities If you were born in the years 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 or 2025, you are a snake.
Each animal year is further associated with one of five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal, or water. So more precisely, 2025 is the year of the wood snake.
Notable snakes of pop culture include Chinese premiere Xi Jinping, US singers Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, British physicist Stephen Hawking, South Korean singer and creator of the”Gangnam Style” dance Psy, as well as American talk show mogul, Oprah Winfrey. And finally, British author and creator of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, whose main antagonist Voldemort, belonged to the House of Slytherin and whose sidekick was the snake Nagini.
In the Chinese zodiac, the snake is associated with wisdom, charm, elegance and transformation, and those born under this sign are said to be highly wise, intuitive and charming.
Both revered and feared Slithering into the heart of mythology, religion and folklore worldwide, snakes have long either been revered as divine messengers or feared as harbingers of doom.
In ancient Egypt, a rearing cobra, a prominent symbol of royal power, often graced the headdresses of pharaohs. Known as the uraeus, it represented Wadjet, the cobra goddess of ancient Egypt who served as a protector of the country and its kings.
A rearing cobra often graced the headdresses of the pharaohsImage: dpa/Photoshot/picture allianceConversely, the giant serpent Apep represented chaos and disorder. According to Egyptian cosmology, Apep tried to devour the sun god Ra every night as he journeyed through the underworld. Each morning, Ra’s victory symbolized the triumph of order over chaos, light over darkness.
Symbols of wisdom and transformation In Greek mythology the rod of Asclepius, entwined with a single serpent, symbolizes medicine and healing — an emblem still used in healthcare today. This stems from the snake’s ability to shed its skin, symbolizing renewal and rejuvenation.
Statue of Asclepius Greek god of healing, complete with staff with entwined snakeImage: picture-alliance/prismaarchivo This is not to be confused with the caduceus of Hermes — emissary and messenger of the Greek gods. His staff has two snakes winding up its length and topped by wings. In one myth explaining the origin of the caduceus, Hermes used his rod to separate two fighting snakes.
In the Chinese Legend of the White Snake, Bai Suzhen is a snake spirit who transforms into a woman and falls in love with a human. Despite her noble intentions, her supernatural origins create tension, ultimately leading to tragedy.
Between the divine and earthly In Hindu mythology snakes, or nagas, are often depicted as protectors of treasures and water bodies, underscoring their role as guardians of life-sustaining forces.
Painting of Vishnu on the serpent, Shesha Naga or Ananta floating in the universal oceanImage: picture alliance/Yvan Travert/akg-images One of the most prominent nagas is Shesha, also known as Ananta (“endless”). Shesha supports the universe on his vast, coiled body, providing a resting place for the god Vishnu. His endless nature symbolizes eternity and the infinite cycles of creation and destruction that underpin Hindu cosmology.
In Native American and Mesoamerican traditions, snakes often represent fertility and the cyclical patterns of nature. The Hopi people, for instance, perform the Snake Dance to pray for rain and agricultural prosperity.
Similarly, the Rainbow Serpent is a creator god and important figure in Australian Aboriginal mythology.
Illustration of the Hopi snake danceImage: picture alliance / ZUMAPRESS Temptation and redemption In Christian tradition, the serpent plays a pivotal role in the creation story of Adam and Eve. After cunningly tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, it became synonymous with sin and moral downfall. Despite this, the serpent’s role in this narrative also introduces the themes of redemption and salvation, integral to Christian theology.
But it could never quite shed its synonymity with duplicity.
In contemporary science, snake venom is being used to create drugs that combat high blood pressure and heart ailments, among others — thus bookending its ancient associations with healing and rejuvenation with modern health innovations
19th Swedish embroidery depicting Adam, Eve and the snake in the Garden of EdenImage: picture alliance/Heritage Images/CM Dixon Edited by: Elizabeth Grenier
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