The year of the snake

In Chinese culture, the snake embodies traits that are associated with adaptability and patience. In many other cultures, the snake is a common symbol in religious traditions, beliefs and ceremonies where men generally see this creature as creepy and repulsive, not to mention, horrifying. Snake symbols appear everywhere and even more intriguing is the fact that in Chinese culture, this year is all about the snake.

In Chinese mythology, I learned that the creators of mankind were in fact a hybrid of human and snake, which is why the ancient Chinese worshipped the snake totem. The snake is also known as the “little dragon” in Chinese culture and “snake people” in the Chinese zodiac are known to be charming and graceful as well as secretive and ambitious.

The lunar new year, also known as Chinese New Year, was thought to have originated in ancient China around 3500 years ago and is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. Believe it or not, reports have shown that over a billion people across the world, from China to the Philippines and even in the United States, celebrated the Chinese New Year on Jan. 29. In the Philippines, this celebration became a holiday only in 2012.

Regardless, Chinese New Year has been celebrated in the Philippines for centuries and as far back as the very first Chinese settlement in 1594. Indeed, this shows how deep our ties are as two neighboring countries with a shared culture. Celebrating Chinese New Year as Filipinos has been a big part of our Filipino-Chinese heritage that continues to inspire our communities, especially in the area of food and, to me, this tradition is just one of the many reasons why, regardless of politics, Chinese New Year is and will always be deeply ingrained in the Filipino culture.

Just a recap, in 2013, my uncle, the late Senate president Edgardo Angara, approved on third and final reading a bill declaring the Chinese New Year a special working holiday. He was then also the chairman of the committee of education, arts and culture where the proposed legislation sought to recognize the great contributions of the Chinese-Filipinos in Philippine society. Angara noted then that “our relations with China go far back in history before the first Spanish fleet even reached our shores.”

He also said that ethnic (or pure) Chinese comprise about 1.35 million of our population while Filipinos with Chinese descent comprise 22.8 million of the population. The late Senate president also said that Chinese-Filipinos have made significant socio-economic impact on the country in terms of employment, community service, banking and finance and stressed that our relationship with China, especially in bilateral trade and commerce, continued to flourish back then, with total trade between our two countries reaching $32.54 billion in 2011 and surpassing the $30-billion record in 2007.

In 2023, his son, now Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara, pushed for a measure seeking to declare the Lunar New Year a special non-working holiday in the Philippines in recognition of the contributions of the Chinese people to the country’s development as a nation. It is also good to note that in 2013, the Department of Tourism said Chinese tourists were the fourth largest group of visitors in the Philippines from January to September, where a total of 327,054 tourists from China came to the country, increasing by 66.08 percent and the fastest growth among the country’s top markets for tourists.

One can only imagine what it could be like for our country’s tourism in the near future considering how people-to-people collaboration and exchange have generally become a global focus. Having said this, and entering into the Year of the Snake, it is also the perfect time to uncover the many possibilities waiting to be fulfilled through diligent prudence. The Year of the Snake gives all of us some insight on how to gracefully handle the year ahead through acquired skills, resiliency and adaptability.

What better way to start the lunar year when cultural harmony is evident in our celebrations. Filipino-Chinese communities and many others nationwide celebrate this special occasion with hope for new beginnings and new opportunities. Like the snake, we must shed the past over and over again so that better things can emerge. Happy Chinese New Year to one and all.