Happy Chinese New Year: Year of the Wood Snake 2025 – How to Celebrate and Prepare: Purify, Clean and Sweep in Prosperity
Chinese New Year and Tibetan Losar are often on different dates — based on two different lunar calendars. The Lunisolar Chinese Lunar calendar starts the new year in 2025 on January 29. (Losar — see the separate event —...
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Happy Chinese New Year 2025 (January 29), Year of the Wood Snake.Chinese New Year and Tibetan Losar are often on different dates — based on two different lunar calendars. The Lunisolar Chinese Lunar calendar starts the new year in 2025 on January 29. (Losar — see the separate event — is almost one month later due to the strict lunar nature of the Tibetan calendar — this year on February 28, 2025)
It represents new beginnings, fresh start, and an opportunity to bring in auspiciousness for the new year. For this reason, purification practices are recommended prior to the New Year!
Chinese New Year 2025 is a Year of the Wood Snake, elementally it’s the Wood Snake, which begins from January 29th, 2025, and lasting until February 16th, 2026. The celebrations for New Year last up to 15 days.
Preparing for New Year
Chanting at least 108 (minimum) Vajrasattva mantras prior to the New Year is often recommended, or ideally 108 every day for 10 days prior, or as many as you are able. An easy way to accomplish this is to chant along with Hrishikesh Sonar’s beautiful Sanskrit mantra (includes visualizations):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpg4h4XqqQY
In both traditions, it is important to make offerings to the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, Dharma and Sangha on New Years. This is why temple visits and “generosity” to the Sangha — especially monks, nuns, rinpoches, teachers, and temples or gompas. The purification (such as Vajrasatttva practices) removes negative karmas, while the offerings ensure auspicious merit in the new year.
Jewel Practice to Bring in Prosperity for 2025
After purifying with Vajrasattva, traditionally we focus on helping create the conditions for auspiciousness, and propserity in the New Year. This is the traditional domain of Ratnasambhava and the Jewel Family, including Vasudhara (Yellow Tara), the Jambhala (Dzambhala) and Vaisravana Heavening King Practices.
Ratnasambhava 9-minute Practice Video Chant-along for Prosperity:
Lucky Activities for first 15 Days
From China Highlights:
“Chinese people believe that what you do at the beginning of a new year will affect your luck in the coming year. Staying up on Chinese New Year’s eve (January 28th, 2025) and saying good words to your family/friends like Happy New Year after the clock strikes 12 will certainly bring good luck.
Giving out red packets to kids and elders will help cast away the bad luck (demon Nian) and bring good luck in.
Besides, decorating your house with kumquat trees (symbolizing wealth & good luck), wearing your lucky color (yellow, red), and eating lucky food like rice dumplings (family togetherness), fried flour-coated peanuts (vitality), walnut cookies (happiness), etc. are popular ways to get lucky.”
Happy Chinese New Year 2025, Year of the Snake.
Activities on New Years
For the first 15 days of lunar New Year, bring in auspiciousness with lucky activities (see the section below!).
Aside from the astounding mix of wondrous activities scheduled around the world for Chinese New Year, the lunar first month of 2022 will be a busy one for Dharma activities.
Fireworks are a must on Lunar New Year, bringing in the auspiciousness. If you can’t go live, there will be plenty of coverage online. Chengdu Nan River Anshun bridge Sichuan province.
Celebrate the New Year and every Dharma activity in the first month to ensure an auspicious, happy year! Some of the Dharma Dates are highlighted below.
Lion dance in Vietnam for New Year.
February Dharma Celebrations
You’ll find the monthly Dharma Calendar Highlights on the home page of Buddha Weekly and on our dedicated “Dharma Dates” page which has Dharma Dates from now to the end of 2027.
Dharma Dates Calendar>>
Guanyin in relief at a temple. In the first two weeks of the New Year, it is auspicious and meritorious to make extra offerings at your local temple. In many Guanyin temples, you can “shake the bamboo sticks” for your fortune for the year. Making offerings to the temple and especially to the monks or nuns is especially meritorious.Buddhist Prosperity Practices for New Year
About the Jewel Buddha Ratnasambhava
Enriching Yellow Tara Mantras
Green Tara: Bring Sacred Enlightened Activities into 2025 — Activity of all the Buddhas
21 Tara Mantras three Times Each: Bring Auspiciousness and Merit, Enriching, Pacifying and Subjugating of Obstacles
