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

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

The first new moon of the lunar calendar officially ushered in the new year in many cultures Wednesday, marking the imminent arrival of spring and the first day of the Year of the Snake, which symbolizes good luck, rebirth and regality.

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.

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.

Lunar New Year Festival helped ring in the Year of the Snake on Saturday at the Fountain Valley Recreation Center.

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.

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,

From Beijing to Hanoi and Moscow, the holiday — known as the Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea — is a major festival celebrated by diaspora communities around the world. Wednesday marks the start of the Year of the Snake, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.

Over 1 billion people celebrate the holiday, which marks the transition from cold winter to a season of renewal and ushers in one of 12 Chinese zodiac signs.