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,

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

The Chinese zodiac corresponds to various years people were born, and each animal is believed to influence the lives of people born in that year. The Year of the Snake is seen as one of renewal and regeneration and aligns with people born in 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 and 2025.

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.

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.

Communities across the world begin celebrating Lunar New Year on Jan. 29 — and 2025 marks the Year of the Snake.