YEAR OF THE SNAKE

And so it begins. China's new (lunar) year. The year of the snake.

The snake, it seems, is traditionally the LEAST lucky of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. And it's not hard to see why.

The slithering, skin-shedding serpent doesn't inspire warm, fuzzy feelings. The symbolism of a sneaky snake easily shares parallels in western culture. Certainly, in Christianity. Just ask Adam and Eve.

It therefore follows, that this brand new year promises to be the unluckiest 12 month period since 2001. Itself, an infamous year in the modern world.

Beijing's celebratory fireworks may have been scaled back because of the smog, but bold new year predictions came thick and fast as ever.

Revered fortune tellers warn the year of the snake may bring disaster for financial markets. The market plunge that sparked the Great Depression occurred in 1929, a year of the snake.

The Chinese traditionally believe people born under the snake are doomed in business.

But, just as a modern China has emerged, the modern Chinese have a new take on the snake.

There's a tiny village near Shanghai in China's east known as 'snake village'.  Hundreds began snake farming in the 1980's. They became the laughing stock of their country.

Decades later, the snake village farmers have turned poisonous snake venom into good fortune. They sell'snake penis wine' as a cure all tonic. Medicine, food, and industry.

One farmer told AP he expects that in this, the year of the snake, business will boom.

Maybe, just maybe, we make our own luck.

Gong Hei Fard Choy!