This year is the “Year of the Snake”. Here in Japan, many shops sell snake ornaments and lucky charms.

I have many snake ornaments in my house. Here are some photographs of my snakes!

My friend bought me the two snakes below in 2001, the last snake year.

A happy snake!

Also, many temples sell lucky charms with the twelve animals of the zodiac printed on them. Some of the lucky charms are keyrings or mobile phone straps. Here are some lucky snake charms which I bought at local temples.

In some cultures, especially in Asia, the snake is lucky, or it symbolizes positive characteristics. In other cultures, the snake has a negative image. In English, there is a phrase which shows this negative image.

The phrase is “a snake in the grass“. In English, a snake in the grass is a person who cannot be trusted. For example: “You should not trust Bill. He is a snake in the grass.”

How about you? Does the snake have a positive or negative image in your culture?

(H)