As the Chinese New Year begins, it’s a perfect time to reflect on what the upcoming year holds.Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is a significant cultural celebration marking the start of the lunisolar calendar.

Though the snake may get a bad rap across many Western cultures, the animal is actually a celebrated and revered sign across the Eastern hemisphere. And its year is expected to be one of positive transformation as people slither into new beginnings — if they’re willing to move on.

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.

Asian communities across the globe observing Lunar New Year will be ringing in the Year of the Wood Snake in celebration of a festive period that is meant to unite families in the spirit of hope and optimism for the months ahead.

The Year of the Dragon is coming to a close. Tomorrow, a new moon will herald in the Year of the Snake and the start of Spring Festival celebrations.

Schools did not close for Lunar New Year in the first year of the new law because the holiday fell on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. The date varies from year to year as the Lunar New Year is based on moon cycles; the holiday typically occurs between the end of January and the end of February.

This is the Year of the Snake, one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, whose qualities include wisdom, charm, elegance, and transformation. People born in the Year of the Snake are believed to be intuitive, strategic and intelligent.

After Hochul signed the state-level bill, the Lunar New Year was added as one of the public school holidays. However, the holiday fell on a Saturday in 2024. When it occurs on a weekend day, it won't be observed with a day off for New York schools.

This week’s new moon, on Wednesday, Jan. 29, will signal the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which this year is called the "Year of the Snake."

The one-day holiday — which typically comes in late January or early February — was added to all New York public school calendars in 2024.

In the Cape Fear, Double Happiness, a Chinese restaurant on Wrightsville Ave is celebrating the occasion with promotions on select menu items and special dishes.

Several countries mark their new year based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar involving movement of the Sun and Moon.