Year of the snake
30/01/25 02:39
I should have worn red yesterday. I have a couple of red shirts. I like to wear red for Pentecost but break out the red shirts for other occasions. I didn’t wear red yesterday. I didn’t even think about it. I wore a neutral T-shirt and pulled a gray sweatshirt over the top. I had my mind set on working through a writing project. I also had my mind set on staying warm. It wasn’t that cold. I went for a 25-mile bike ride without getting chilled.
The reason to wear red is that it is traditional for Lunar New Year. I didn’t wear red because I wasn’t paying close enough attention to remember the exact day of the first new moon of the year. It isn’t a big deal. We don’t live in a Chinese community. If we did, I’d probably realize that there is more than one chance to wear a read during the 15-day Spring Festival that follows.
I ignore astrology. I don’t read a daily horoscope, though I used to look at it occasionally when we received a print newspaper. And I understand even less about the complex Chinese zodiac calendar. It is a 12-year cycle represented by 12 animals. The clock is also divided into 12 animals, each being matched to a two-hour time block in each 24-hour day. I’m so out of touch. I had to look up to be sure I was born in the year of the snake. I thought that was my animal, but I needed to check. The new year that started yesterday is the year of the snake. Last year was the year of the dragon, and 2026 will be the year of the horse. There are stories about the order of the animals. I only know that the snake used a trick to get ahead of the horse. Since the snake wasn’t a good swimmer, it attached itself to the horse’s foot to cross a stream, and when the crossing was completed, it jumped out, startled the horse, and managed to complete the race ahead of it. Snakes can be tricky.
Snakes are also feared and associated with evil in other mythologies. In the third chapter of Genesis, the snake is portrayed as the most crafty of animals and tricked the humans into disobeying God. The story goes on to name the snake as cursed forever: “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14 - 15 NRSVUE) The snake doesn’t come off well in that story.
Other cultures have similar stories. In Chinese mythology, snakes are sometimes shape-shifting, able to change into humans and back into snakes. They sometimes appear as fantastic beings combining snake body parts with other body parts, such as human heads. In Chinese art, snakes are sometimes depicted with arms and hands.
The story also calls snakes “little dragons” to make those born in the snake's year feel better about their identity. Snakes seem to have negative images in many cultures and stories.
In Hopi stories, snakes symbolize healing, transformation, and fertility. In ancient Crete, snakes were worshipped as guardians of the mysteries of birth. In West Africa, snakes were signs of eternity and were considered immortal because they shed their skins and were reborn.
I like the stories of the Rainbow Snake that we heard in Australia. There is a traditional story of a great flood that threatened the survival of the people. The snake invited them to climb upon its back and swam through the flood saving humanity. There are also stories about how the snake's movements created the paths of rivers and streams and defined the shape of the oceans. We returned from a sabbatical trip to Australia with a liturgical stole upon which is a rainbow snake. It is one of the treasured items that we keep and have worn for special occasions.
So, like millions of children who will be born in the coming year, my birth year is associated with the snake by those who follow the Chinese zodiac.
The stories of why people wear red are not associated with snakes. Wearing red during the celebration of the Lunar New Year comes from stories of another creature. Nian is a legendary monster. This ferocious beast lives underwater but will crawl onto the land and attack coastal villages with its sharp teeth and horns. In the legend, the people of the village all ran away and hid from the monster, but a mysterious old man showed up and remained in the village. Both the village and the man survived unharmed. He told the people the village was saved because he scared Nain away by hanging red banners on his door, lighting firecrackers, and wearing red clothing. Stories of Main have been going around for centuries and those who observe the Lunar New Year with Chinese traditions wear red clothes, light firecrackers, and decorate their homes with red banners.
However, I forgot about the Lunar New Year. There are no red banners on our house and I didn’t wear a red shirt. We didn’t make any dumplings or turnip cake. However, we had beets with our dinner last night, and plenty of red was left when I did the dishes after dinner. Our main course was a new recipe for us: beef with pepper, cherries, and gorgonzola cheese. I wouldn’t have thought of cooking cherries with meat, but Susan found a recipe for a tasty dinner and used a few of the cherries.
Our cherry tree is very productive. We froze over 50 pounds of cherries last year and need to eat them before picking cherries this year. Even if I forgot to wear red, the cherry tree will sport enough red fruit to make the Year of the Snake a good one at our house.
The reason to wear red is that it is traditional for Lunar New Year. I didn’t wear red because I wasn’t paying close enough attention to remember the exact day of the first new moon of the year. It isn’t a big deal. We don’t live in a Chinese community. If we did, I’d probably realize that there is more than one chance to wear a read during the 15-day Spring Festival that follows.
I ignore astrology. I don’t read a daily horoscope, though I used to look at it occasionally when we received a print newspaper. And I understand even less about the complex Chinese zodiac calendar. It is a 12-year cycle represented by 12 animals. The clock is also divided into 12 animals, each being matched to a two-hour time block in each 24-hour day. I’m so out of touch. I had to look up to be sure I was born in the year of the snake. I thought that was my animal, but I needed to check. The new year that started yesterday is the year of the snake. Last year was the year of the dragon, and 2026 will be the year of the horse. There are stories about the order of the animals. I only know that the snake used a trick to get ahead of the horse. Since the snake wasn’t a good swimmer, it attached itself to the horse’s foot to cross a stream, and when the crossing was completed, it jumped out, startled the horse, and managed to complete the race ahead of it. Snakes can be tricky.
Snakes are also feared and associated with evil in other mythologies. In the third chapter of Genesis, the snake is portrayed as the most crafty of animals and tricked the humans into disobeying God. The story goes on to name the snake as cursed forever: “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14 - 15 NRSVUE) The snake doesn’t come off well in that story.
Other cultures have similar stories. In Chinese mythology, snakes are sometimes shape-shifting, able to change into humans and back into snakes. They sometimes appear as fantastic beings combining snake body parts with other body parts, such as human heads. In Chinese art, snakes are sometimes depicted with arms and hands.
The story also calls snakes “little dragons” to make those born in the snake's year feel better about their identity. Snakes seem to have negative images in many cultures and stories.
In Hopi stories, snakes symbolize healing, transformation, and fertility. In ancient Crete, snakes were worshipped as guardians of the mysteries of birth. In West Africa, snakes were signs of eternity and were considered immortal because they shed their skins and were reborn.
I like the stories of the Rainbow Snake that we heard in Australia. There is a traditional story of a great flood that threatened the survival of the people. The snake invited them to climb upon its back and swam through the flood saving humanity. There are also stories about how the snake's movements created the paths of rivers and streams and defined the shape of the oceans. We returned from a sabbatical trip to Australia with a liturgical stole upon which is a rainbow snake. It is one of the treasured items that we keep and have worn for special occasions.
So, like millions of children who will be born in the coming year, my birth year is associated with the snake by those who follow the Chinese zodiac.
The stories of why people wear red are not associated with snakes. Wearing red during the celebration of the Lunar New Year comes from stories of another creature. Nian is a legendary monster. This ferocious beast lives underwater but will crawl onto the land and attack coastal villages with its sharp teeth and horns. In the legend, the people of the village all ran away and hid from the monster, but a mysterious old man showed up and remained in the village. Both the village and the man survived unharmed. He told the people the village was saved because he scared Nain away by hanging red banners on his door, lighting firecrackers, and wearing red clothing. Stories of Main have been going around for centuries and those who observe the Lunar New Year with Chinese traditions wear red clothes, light firecrackers, and decorate their homes with red banners.
However, I forgot about the Lunar New Year. There are no red banners on our house and I didn’t wear a red shirt. We didn’t make any dumplings or turnip cake. However, we had beets with our dinner last night, and plenty of red was left when I did the dishes after dinner. Our main course was a new recipe for us: beef with pepper, cherries, and gorgonzola cheese. I wouldn’t have thought of cooking cherries with meat, but Susan found a recipe for a tasty dinner and used a few of the cherries.
Our cherry tree is very productive. We froze over 50 pounds of cherries last year and need to eat them before picking cherries this year. Even if I forgot to wear red, the cherry tree will sport enough red fruit to make the Year of the Snake a good one at our house.
