Hope and Femininity in the Year of the Snake

Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, is one of the most significant celebrations in many Asian cultures, particularly those with Sinic cultural heritage – countries within the East Asian cultural sphere, civilizations with Confucian roots, and Chinese diaspora. The holiday, which falls on January 29, marks the beginning of two weeks of celebration and, more importantly, the lunar calendar. Traditionally, people celebrate by cleaning their homes to sweep away bad luck, preparing festive meals, giving red envelopes (hongbao) filled with money for good fortune, and participating in cultural performances such as dragon and lion dances. The Lunar New Year fosters a sense of cultural identity, strengthens familial bonds, and brings hope for happiness, health, and success in the coming year.

Artist unknown, Money Envelope (‘hong bao’ in Mandarin; ‘lai see’ in Cantonese), 2001, gold and multi-color print on red envelope. Courtesy of The British Museum.

According to the tradition of the Zodiac Calendar, each year is associated with one of the twelve zodiac animals, influencing predictions for the year and characteristics of those born within it. The sequence goes as follows: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. This year is the Year of the Wood Snake, a powerful, transformative time that indicates the antithesis of what is often associated with snakes in Western lore. In Western traditions, snakes are usually viewed with suspicion, commonly linked to deception and sin due to their role in the biblical story of Eve and the forbidden fruit—in more colloquial contexts, it’s an insult to be associated with snake-like traits. We often forget that due to the shedding of skin, snakes can signify something positive: rebirth. In East Asian cultures, the snake, as a symbol, honors this duality. While they are associated with wisdom, rebirth, and prosperity, they are also connected to mystery and fear, signifying the existence of opposing forces and the need for balance in one’s life.

Artist unknown, Nüwa and Fuxi, ca. 206 BCE-220 CE, painting on silk. Courtesy of the China Global Television Network.

In Chinese mythology, Nüwa is the name for the mother goddess credited with creating humanity, often depicted with a human head and a serpent body. By being part woman and part beast, she captures the duality of the Year of the Snake, as a symbol of nature and fertility, but also order and class, having created humankind by hand, using different soil for the rich, nobility, and commoners. In 2019, cultural relics were unearthed in Xinjiang, an autonomous region in China that was once a key passage for the Silk Road, linking trade with the Middle East, and placed on view at the National Museum of China. One particularly notable discovery was a classical painting on silk featuring Nüwa and her husband (or, according to some, her brother) Fuxi. Even more relevant today as we enter the first Year of the Snake since its discovery, the piece joins a collection of nearly 60 pieces of Nüwa and Fuxi silk paintings that have been recovered from the region to date, signifying the characters’ ongoing significance. In this image, and many others, the double helix twist of their serpent tails represents their role in creating humanity, and the yin and yang balance they brought to their development of civilization.

Soe Yu Nwe, Feminine Wound, 2015, porcelain, glaze and oxides, luster cone 10. Courtesy of the artist.

Another beautiful work exhibited before the Year of the Snake rolled around again is a contemporary serpent series of works by artist Soe Yu Nwe, a third-generation Chinese immigrant in Myanmar. Her work contrasts her personal experience with Buddhism and the romanticized version appropriated by the West, addressing internalized feelings of sexism and otherness. She aptly uses the snake as a vessel for storytelling, given the interwoven cultural association with snakes and femininity. The artist, who was born during a Year of the Snake, has created many pieces exploring this relationship. In many Asian traditions, there is a mythical serpent figure called nagas. A few years ago, while visiting the Botataung Pagoda in Yangon, she was inspired by the story of a woman, Mya Nan Nwe, who was enshrined after her death as a naga queen due to the belief that she was a naga who had been reborn as a human. From this visit came the sculpture, Naga Mae Daw Serpent, which was made during an artist residency in Jingdezhen, a Chinese city famous for its ceramic production. The combination of a woman’s head and serpent’s body also plays on the classic iconography associated with the Year of the Snake.

Soe Yu Nwe, Naga Mae Daw Serpent, 2018, glazed porcelain, gold, and mother-of-pearl luster. Courtesy of the artist and The British Museum.

While snakes are a common theme in art across cultures, the Eastern interpretation of snakes as a transformative life force, a figure of femininity, and a reminder to seek balance in life challenges the Western use of serpent symbolism in a beautiful way. This perspective aligns nicely with the Lunar New Year and what it represents – more than just a celebration of a new beginning, but a vibrant expression of cultural heritage deeply embedded in artistic traditions. The creative expressions present throughout the holiday, from red envelopes and lively performances to silk paintings and ceramic sculptures, preserve the rich history of the New Year and allow for continuous reinterpretation with each generation.

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