By Kent Ewing HONG KONG - In Western lore, there is no creature more reviled than the snake. After all, this scaled, slimy, slithering repti...
By Kent Ewing HONG KONG - In Western lore, there is no creature more reviled than the snake. After all, this scaled, slimy, slithering reptile is responsible not only for frightening rattles and poisonous bites. For those who follow the Judeo-Christian tradition, the wily serpent is also accountable for no less than the Fall of Man. Not so in Chinese culture. So, when the Year of the Snake commences on February 10, there will be a week-long celebration across China featuring fireworks, parades, lion dances, offerings to the gods and a gluttonous array of food, including - you guessed it - snake. In Chinese mythology, as in the West, the snake represents the ability to strike quickly and decisively but often without the associated negative connotations. It is also a symbol of intelligence, wisdom and self-discipline. Popular deities can even take the form of snakes, especially gods who dwell in rivers. Even the dragon - the most revered animal in the Chinese zodiac, whose lunar year is now coming to an end - is sometimes depicted as distinctly snake-like; the famous flying dragon Teng ("soaring snake") in Chinese mythology is an eminent example. Stories of Teng are, of course, worlds apart from the Biblical account of the Satanic viper that preys upon Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In that story, the smooth-talking snake convinces Eve to persuade Adam that eating an apple from the Tree of Knowledge, which for reasons not entirely clear to world's first couple God has ... Less
