Keeping it cute: Shoppers browsing snake-themed Chinese New Year decorations at a shop along Jalan Kuala Kangsar, George Town.
GEORGE TOWN: From fangless snakes to cutesy reptiles with long eyelashes, creators of Chinese New Year decorations this season have spared a thought for those who recoil at the very thought of the serpent.
For instance, ang pow packets and wall decorations feature smiley snakes or reptiles with chubby cheeks.
Many even have paws or tiny hands, looking far from menacing, except perhaps with the occasional forked tongue.
Acknowledging that many people have a fear of snakes, shop owner Son Jia Yi said all the decorations were done in a way that make the snake look friendly and animated.
“People are generally afraid of snakes, especially children, so I understand the need to soften the look,” she said.
Son, 35, started selling the decorations about a month ago.
This season, such decorations have been done in a way that make the generally feared reptile more appealing. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
So far, she said, sales of Year of the Snake items have not been as good as the current Year of the Dragon, but she believes this will pick up soon.
One popular product, she said, is the snake plushie with silicone sucker tabs for sticking onto windows.
“These are popular as they are kid-friendly,” she said.
“We have colourful paper snakes too. It’s popular because you can wrap it around pillars and such.”
Son said ang pow design offerings feature “cute” snakes to make them look more appealing to children.
“Some have snakes with a patch of hair or wearing fun hats,” she added.
At a shop along Weld Quay that opened recently, customers showed a preference for snake-themed paper decorations.
Internet artificial intelligence trainer Simone Loke, 33, admitted to having ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) and she is in two minds on how to decorate her home for Chinese New Year.
“Just a glimpse of a snake makes my skin crawl. If a snake suddenly appears in a movie I am watching, I start sweating and my heart beats faster,” she said.
As such, Loke was relieved to find that the decorations featured snakes “without scales or cold eyes”.
The first day of Chinese New Year falls on Jan 29.
