“Hey, everyone. I’m Polly Green-White and I’m here with my friends, Lexia, Teddy, and Al, to welcome you to Animalia’s Lunar New Year celebration. And as the Year of the Dragon ends, the Year of the Snake begins. And I’m sure there are mixed feelings about that.”
“Yes,” said Lexia, “I think we can safely say that out of all the animals in the Chinese zodiac, none have had a more complex relationship with humans than snakes. To varying degrees, everyone has a little primal fear of snakes, some more than others.” (Indiana Jones: “Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?”) “Some may think it links back when primates were preyed on by snakes, but studies indicate that it’s a learned fear from how adults react around them. Which is not unjustified as snakes are nothing to toy with.”
“As such, snakes tend to be portrayed negatively across various cultures,” said Al, “From the serpent in the Garden of Eden, to Apep the giant serpent who tries to swallow Ra every night, to the Midgard Serpent that coils around the Earth and will kill Thor at Ragnarok, to Orochi the eight-headed snake of Japanese mythology. That trend continues into pop culture today.”
“However, not every portrayal of snakes is negative,” said Teddy, “Quetzalcoatl, usually seen as the most benevolent of the Aztec gods, was depicted as a plumed serpent. The Aboriginals of Australia have various legends about the Rainbow Serpent as a benevolent spirit that brings rain. The naga of Hindu lore are typically portrayed as benevolent beings. And one of the most famous Chinese stories, the Legend of the White Snake, which has been adapted so many times, features a, well, benevolent serpent as the main protagonist. The snake is symbolic of several things: knowledge, wisdom, healing, and immortality.”
“So, while many people may find snakes alluring or repelling, it’s their year now and they’re here to show it in style,” said Polly before the view changed to the competitors for this year, well, not exactly marching, but parading around the stadium. There were actually a lot more snake Animalians than some people were expecting. It was hard to say how many of them had converted recently for this event, but there were many recognizable snakes. Iphis and Ianthe were easy to spot. There were several four-armed snakes, including Becka, Madge, and Li-Wei. Muxing and Fang were slithering right beside them and were getting plenty of recognition. But there were others who had fans, like Sylvia Rattlerton who had Andrew and Tommy cheering her on.
“That’s quite a lot of snakes,” said Al, “I guess they’ve been a more popular choice for conversion than most people would guess.”
“They’ll be seeing plenty of elimination,” said Lexia, “In addition to the Mr. and Miss Zodiac pageants, we have four trials for them to go through. There’s the Trial of Strength, not just for their arms, but for their coils. There’s the Trial of Speed, a race on both land and in water. There’s the Trial of Stealth, which will test their flexibility to avoid moving lights. And the Trial of Smarts, where their knowledge of snakes will be put to the test. All leading up to a race up Zodiac Mountain.”
“Sssoundsss intenssse,” said Teddy. The others gave him a look. “Too corny?” he asked.
“And a little insensitive,” said Lexia.
“Sorry,” said Teddy, “But yeah, with so many serpents, they will need to thin them out before we get to Zodiac Mountain. And the race up that mountain ought to be particularly interesting this year.”
“It certainly will be,” said Polly, “And just to remind viewers, a typical Lunar New Year festival lasts from the first new moon in late January or early February until the Lantern Festival which is on the next full moon. And that’ll be about…February 12th this year. Of course, some of Animalia’s festivals can last a bit longer. But we’ll be bringing you coverage of the various events as they happen.”