The Year of the Dragon is coming to a close. Tomorrow, a new moon will herald in the Year of the Snake and the start of Spring Festival celebrations.

The Lunar New Year marks the beginning of spring and the new year on something called the lunisolar calendar. That's a type of calendar historically used in China that uses the moon and the sun to determine dates.

To welcome the year of the snake, Tet Fest celebrates with authentic food, music and dances. From Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, the Mary Queen of Vietnam Church in the Village de L'Est of New Orleans East, the state's largest Vietnamese community, transforms into a culinary wonderland, offering traditional fare like pandan waffles and pho.

The Lunar New Year also is an important occasion for spending time with family and to pay respects to ancestors and older family members. Families will come together to practice c

Many Chinese who work in bigger cities return home during the eight-day national holiday in what is described as the world's biggest annual movement of humanity.