Southeast Asia joins millions worldwide in ringing in Year of the Snake
2025.01.29

From igniting fireworks to joining in lion dances, Southeast Asia joined millions of people all over the world in celebrating the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac.
The event, colloquially known as the “Chinese New Year,” is considered the biggest holiday for Chinese communities worldwide.
Jan. 29 marked the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. Associated with myths and customs, the occasion is a time to honor deities and ancestors.
Ethnic Chinese communities in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines celebrated on Wednesday with festive family feasts, colorful celebrations, and prayers for good luck.
The color red, symbolizing good fortune in Chinese tradition, featured prominently in banners, lanterns, and even in paper envelopes containing money distributed during family events.
In Bangkok, some Chinese-Thai families visited temples to light incense sticks and perform traditional rituals to pay respects and seek blessings.
At the Wat Mangkon Kamalawat temple, a lion dance entertained the crowd.
“I have many Thai-Chinese friends who say this temple is very sacred,” long-time visitor Sasakorn Udomrat told news agency Agence France-Presse.
Built in 1871, the temple is regarded as the capital’s most revered Chinese place of worship.
In Malaysia, revelers enjoyed firecrackers and lion dances at Kuala Lumpur’s Guan Di temple. Inside the temple, some placed incense sticks into gold-colored pots to pay respects.
In other Southeast Asian capitals such as Manila, offices and shopping malls were adorned with festive red decorations to ward off evil spirits.







