Activities to welcome the Year of the Wood Snake and the Bacolaodiat Festival are set at the Yuan Thong Temple at Burgos Street in Bacolod City, Tuesday and Wednesday, January 28 to 29.
The Chinese New Year’s Eve celebration at the temple will start at 5 p.m. Tuesday with incense and light offerings, lion dances, stage performances, and will culminate at midnight with the bell-ringing ceremony for blessings, a press release from the Bacololaodiat Festval organizers said Monday.
The celebration will continue from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m, Wednesday with the temple opening its gates to everyone for a day of incense and light offerings and prayers for prosperity and good fortune.
The temple will stay open until February 2 for visitors to experience the colorful traditions of the Lunar New Year.
The Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a major traditional holiday in China and East Asia, marking the start of the lunar calendar year and typically lasts 15 days until the Lantern Festival.
A time for family reunions, the festival sees many people returning home to celebrate with loved ones, engaging in activities like cleaning the house, putting up spring couplets, and giving red envelopes to children.
Food plays a central role in the festivities, with traditional dishes like dumplings, rice cakes, and fish, symbolizing abundance and good fortune, prepared and shared among families.
As 2025 ushers in the Year of the Wood Snake, the celebrations at Yuan Thong Temple promise to reflect the themes of wisdom, transformation, and renewal, uniting the community in joy and tradition, the press release said.*