On Wednesday, the Lunar New Year begins as the Year of the Snake gets underway.

In Boston, it’s a big occasion. On Sunday, hundreds gathered at City Hall for a celebration that featured performances from members across the Asian American community.

“This is the festival for all the people,” said Gary Yu, a member of the state’s Asian American and Pacific Islanders Commission.

Although the Lunar New Year officially starts on Jan. 29, events marking the occasion will be spread through next month. Here are some of the local celebrations and events.

Lunar New Year at MFA Boston
5 to 10 p.m. Jan. 30

One event that will take place later this week is a celebration at the Museum of Fine Arts displaying Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean artwork.

The museum will have a $5 minimum, pay-what-you-want general admission starting at 5 p.m. Thursday to mark the occasion.

There will be dance performances, talks and other activities to ring in the new year.

Lunar New Year Cultural Village
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 9

The Lunar New Year Cultural Village, hosted on by Chinatown Main Street , will feature everything from calligraphy and writing to origami folding to live performances.

Lion Dance Parade
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 9

Coinciding with the Cultural Village, the annual Lunar New Year Lion Dance Parade will also take place on Feb. 9 in Chinatown.

The Lion Dance, a performance that dates back to at least the third century, is a staple of Lunar New Year celebrations.

Felix Lui, president of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England, said they’ve typically hosted the event the second Sunday after the start of the Lunar New Year.

“The Chinese Lion Dance usually means a greeting or a good luck circulation for the issues to celebrate the Chinese New Year,” he said.

He’s expecting thousands to be in Chinatown that day and is looking forward to what that will mean to local businesses.

“People will spend money, food service people, restaurants will be busy,” he said. “So I think that’s also really important for our business people to start with the new year.”

Visit Meet Boston for a list of more Lunar New Year events.