Chinese New Year is the start of the new year in the Chinese calendar. It is celebrated in other countries too, so can also be called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. The new year starts on a different day each year, between 21 st January and 20 th February It begins with a new moon.
Each new year in the Chinese zodiac is named after an animal from the New Year Story. There are 12 different animals, including a snake. Which animal was it on the year that you were born?
The New Year Story explains how the animals in the Chinese zodiac were chosen. A long time ago, The Jade Emperor wanted to start a calendar. He invited lots of animals to enter a race to cross the river. The first 12 animals to finish the race would have a year named after them. The snake came sixth in the race, so the sixth year was named after a snake.
There are lots of famous people born on the year of the snake. Stephen Hawking Taylor Swift Pablo Picasso People born in the year of the snake are said to have qualities such as being wise and being very good with using words.
In Chinese culture, there is a goddess named Nu Gua, or Nüwa. She is believed to have a human head, but the body of a snake (or fish)!
Do you know any facts about snakes?
Snakes are reptiles. They have long, thin bodies but do not have any arms or legs. Snakes do not all look the same. Some are large and others are small. Snakes are covered in scales. They come in many different colours. The colour of a snake can help protect it from other animals. Some snakes camouflage, which means that they use their colour to blend in and hide. Did You Know…? Snakes have no ears or eyelids!
Snakes can live on the ground, in trees or in underground tunnels. Some snakes can even live in water! The only place that snakes do not live is Antarctica. This is because it is too cold for them to survive there.
All snakes are carnivores, meaning they mostly eat other animals. Snakes can be active during the day or at night. Snakes smell with their tongue and they only use their nostrils for breathing.
Some snakes have special teeth called fangs. Snake Facts Snakes can stretch their jaws very wide. This means they can eat quite large animals! Snakes sometimes shed their skin. This means their skin drops off and new skin is grown.
Can you tell a friend something you’ve learnt about snakes? What was your favourite snake fact?
