Travel tips for the 2025 Chinese New Year
Today officially marks the beginning of the Year of the Wood Snake.
Although many Westernized cultures view the snake as a symbol of evil and temptation, Chinese culture likewise associates these creatures with harvest, procreation, spirituality and good fortune. That’s why Chinese-speaking people around the world are expected to celebrate this occasion over the next few weeks.
Besides traditions like eating auspicious food and cleaning one’s house to remove dust and bad luck, the Chinese New Year celebration prescribes certain things for travelers. We show you how this global cultural phenomenon could make your trips safer and more auspicious.
Go East
University of Sydney professor and Sinologist Xiaohuan Zhao said one of the biggest taboos in the Year of the Wood Snake is traveling West.
He said the Wood element is associated with the East – citing the early second-century A.D. dictionary Shuowen Jiezi, Zhao noted that the Chinese character for “East” combines the characters for “Wood” and “Sun” to symbolize the rise of the sun from the woods in the East.
Zhao added that the 2025 Year of the Wood Snake is identified as the Year of the Yisi, with “Yi” representing Wood and “Si” representing fire. In other words, traveling East is considered more auspicious, especially for Wood Snake individuals like Chinese President Xi Jinping, renowned British novelist J.K. Rowling, and superstar American singer Taylor Swift.
Observe rituals
Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post outlines certain things you should and should not do during the Chinese New Year celebration.
Today, January 29, should be spent celebrating with family and giving the famous red envelopes. Then tomorrow, married women must reunite with the parents, together with their husband and children.
However, January 30 is considered an ominous day, which means you should stay home and avoid visiting family and friends. The sixth day of the celebration, which is on February 3, is considered the best day to get rid of old and unwanted things, as well as resume work.
Finally, February 8 is the day for fathers to treat their sons-in-law, while February 12, which is the 15th and final day of the festival in many Chinese-speaking cultures, is designated for the Lantern Festival. Here, people decorate streets and alleys with lit lanterns and post riddles for others to guess.
Be ready
As with any journey, the first thing that you must check is yourself.
Before you get behind the wheel, make sure that you are well-rested, sober and emotionally stable. Failure to fulfill even one of these prerequisites means you may see the nasty and sinister side of the Wood Snake sooner than you think (Zhao notes that people with the Tiger, Snake and Pig Zodiac signs are especially prone to challenges this 2025).
Indeed, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said in its 2023 Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System that out of the 85,954 road crashes in the metro that year, 10,990 were caused by human error – this is all the more chilling because all road crashes are entirely preventable.
And of course, your car must be in excellent mechanical condition for all your auspicious trips, especially when visiting family and friends out of town. Never forget BLOWBAGETS: Battery, Lights, Oil, Water, Brakes, Air, Gas, Engine, Tire and Self.
With all these, we should all enjoy a truly Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year!
