As a tradition, Chinese people greet each other with propitious words - to which the zodiac animals are usually related - during Chinese lunar New Year. Some years are easy, such as the Year of the Tiger, which represents power and strength. Sheng long huo hu, or "vital dragon and vigorous tiger" in Chinese, is often used to describe people who are energetic and full of life. The Year of the Ox is connected with being productive and successful, as the animal represents hard work, or simply a bull market.

The Dog is loyal; the Monkey is smart, and the Rooster crows. Even the year of the Pig wouldn't be a problem, as the mud-rolling creature symbolizes good fortune in traditional Chinese culture.

This year, however, the lunar calendar has tossed up a major challenge: the Year of the Snake. It is hard for people to get good impressions from the wet, scaly, sometimes deadly reptile. Chinese idioms, phrases and old sayings related to snakes are often negative. Moreover, the image of snakes - long, sneaky and legless - is hard to render in cartoon form.

Nevertheless, the snake plays an important part in China's mythology and folklore. According to a widely known Chinese legend, the Jade Emperor, the mighty god living in heaven, one day decided there should be a way of measuring time. So he invited all the animals to a grand race, and claimed that each year of the Chinese zodiac would be named in honor, and in the order, of the first 12 animals to finish.

The Snake finished sixth, right after the Dragon, one of the most powerful signs in the Chinese zodiac, and before the Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

People born in the Year of the Snake, are quick-witted, clever, charming, sharp and funny. They have excellent taste, are good friends and generous and loyal to others.

There are many famous people born in the Year of Snake, including John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States who was born in 1917, the artist Pablo Picasso, who was born in 1881, and Audrey Hepburn, the British actress who was born in 1929.

Nu Wa, the creator of mankind according to a Chinese legend, was a half-woman, half-snake goddess. Having no legs, she had a snake-like tail and slithered in the sky. When an evil spirit smashed the vault of heaven, it was Nu Wa who patched the sky up with melting stone. She took up a handful of earth, mixed it with water and molded a figure in her likeness. As she needed it the figure came alive and became the first human being.

Other legends claimed that the snake is the earlier stage of dragon, the symbol of emperors and hence power and majesty. After living for 1,000 years, a snake will transform into dragon. Mencius, a Chinese philosopher who was arguably the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself, ranked the snake at the same level as the dragon in his work.

The Legend of the White Snake, or Madam White Snake, is another famous ancient Chinese tale. It tells the story of a white snake who transformed into a woman and fell in love with a human man. After they got married and had a son, a Buddhist monk discovered her secret and trapped the white snake under a pagoda. But the gods were moved by the love between mother and son, husband and wife, and made the pagoda collapse, which enabled the family to reunite. Madame White Snake later became a symbol of beauty, love and freedom, and appears frequently in novels and operas.

The zodiac cycle was also used to tell time and direction in the old days. For example, the Rat symbolized the period between 11 pm and 1 am, and the Horse was between 11 am and 1 pm. For compass points, the Rat stood for north and the Horse was for south.

Some believe that people share a similar personality and character with the animal in which year they are born, and different zodiac animals are more compatible and should avoid others in certain years.

Every year around the Spring Festival, people gather in Taoism temples, such as Baiyunguan, the oldest Taoism temple in Beijing, to pray for peace and good fortune. They will send their messages to the gods by burning the yellow charms written with their wishes in the temple and offering sacrifices, usually fruits and candies.