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

Celebrated across Asia and beyond, it marks the start of a new year based on the cycles of the moon rather than the Gregorian calendar, when the majority of the United States and

Lunar New Year festivals and prayers marked the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield on Wednesday. (AP video shot by Syawalludin Zain, Taijing Wu)

Lunar New Year festivals and prayers marked the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield on Wednesday.

The Lunar New Year usually starts sometime between late January and mid-February. This year, the festivities begin on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, marking the arrival of the Year of the Snake. In mainland China, official celebrations last for seven days as a public holiday.

How long are Lunar New Year festivities? What is the Chinese Zodiac? Here's what to know as the Year of the Snake celebrations begin in Stockton.

In the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the Year of the Snake. Different countries across Asia celebrate the new year in many ways and may follow a different zodiac.

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.

The Lunar New Year also is an important occasion for spending time with family and to pay respects to ancestors and older family members. Families will come together to practice c

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

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.