“Using fireworks has been a practice in China for ... In the Chinese zodiac, the snake is the sixth of the twelve-year cycle of animals and represents those born in 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977 ...

On Jan. 29, Asian American communities around the U.S. will ring in the Year of the Snake with community carnivals, family gatherings, parades, traditional food, fireworks and other festivities.