Lunar New Year festivals and prayers are marking the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield.

Firecrackers popped, incense was offered at temples and dancers and drummers paraded Wednesday in Asia and farther afield as millions around the world celebrated

Lunar New Year festivals and prayers marked the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield on Wednesday — including in Moscow. Hundreds of people lined up in the hours before midnight at the Wong Tai Sin Taoist temple in Hong Kong in a bid to be among the first to put incense sticks in the stands in front of the temple’s main hall.

Lunar New Year celebrations begin Wednesday. Here's everything to know about the 2025 Lunar New Year, the Year of the Snake.

Since 1992, the Chinese Cultural Center has celebrated Lunar New Year with a variety of dances and demonstrations. This year, the cultural center plans to bring in the Year of the Snake with another celebration from 1 p.