People in Asia and around the world are celebrating the Lunar New Year with festivals, parades and temple visits to ask for blessings. This year marks the Year of the Dog, one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.
The Thean Hou temple in Kuala Lumpur is decorated with red lanterns on the eve of the Lunar New YearManan Vatsyayana/AFP
The New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is marked by the lunisolar Chinese calendar. This means the date changes every year, but mostly falls between 21 January and 20 February in the Gregorian calendar.
Festivities usually start the day before the New Year and continue until the Lantern Festival, celebrated on the 15<sup>th day of the new year.
During this period, people flock to temple fairs in public parks to watch traditional performances such as dragon dances and Chinese opera. People also burn incense at temples to pray for good health and fortune.
Giant panda cubs play with Lunar New Year decorations at Shenshuping Panda Base in Wolong, Sichuan province, ChinaReutersA giant panda cub plays with decorations during an event to celebrate Lunar New Year at Shenshuping Panda Base in Wolong, Sichuan province, ChinaReutersA woman dressed in a traditional bridal costume, poses during a wedding performance as part of the She Huo festival, to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Hancheng, Shaanxi provinceFred Dufour/AFPMalaysian-Chinese devotees arrive to offer prayers at the Thean Hou temple in Kuala Lumpur, decorated with red lanternsManan Vatsyayana/AFPA Chinese-Indonesian man prays on the eve of the Lunar New Year in Surabaya, East Java provinceJuni Kriswanto/AFPPeople burn incense and pray for good fortune at Giant Buddhist Temple in Chongqing, China, as they celebrate the Lunar New YearReutersArtists perform a fire dragon dance under a shower of sparks from molten iron in Shangqiu, Henan province, ChinaReutersA fire eater performs during celebrations of the Chinese New Year at Chinatown in Manila, PhilippinesErik de Castro/ReutersA man walks with his dog among ice sculptures during Lunar New Year celebrations at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South KoreaEric Gaillard/ReutersA shop owner burns what is known as 'ghost money' to celebrate the Lunar New Year in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, VietnamLinh Pham/Getty ImagesPerformers take part in a parade to celebrate the Year of the Dog in Hong KongBobby Yip/ReutersPerformers take part in a parade to celebrate the Year of the Dog in Hong KongBobby Yip/ReutersPerformers take part in a parade to celebrate the Year of the Dog in Hong KongBobby Yip/ReutersPeople pray and burn incense to celebrate the Lunar New Year, marking the Year of the Dog, at the Longhua temple in ShanghaiJohannes Eisele/AFPPeople burn incense and offer prayers to celebrate the Lunar New Year at the Longhua temple in ShanghaiJohannes Eisele/AFPA man holds incense sticks to pray for good fortune at the Giant Buddhist Temple in Chongqing, ChinaReutersA man releases birds to bring good luck, during celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year at a temple in Chinatown in Jakarta, IndonesiaBeawiharta/ReutersA woman prays during celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year at a temple in Chinatown in Jakarta, IndonesiaBeawiharta/ReutersPerformers take part in the re-enactment of a Qing Dynasty ceremony, in which emperors prayed for good harvest and fortune for the Chinese New Year, during a Spring Festival Temple Fair at the Temple of Earth in Ditan Park in BeijingThomas Peter/ReutersTwo people kiss under lanterns during a countdown welcoming the Chinese Lunar new year in Binondo district, metro Manila, PhilippinesDondi Tawatao/ReutersChildren fly kites during Lunar New Year festivities on Kim Il-sung square in Pyongyang, North KoreaKim Won-jin/AFPA woman takes part in celebrations marking the first day of the Lunar New Year in the Chinatown district of Yangon, MyanmarYe Aung Thu/AFPYoung women in traditional Chinese costumes hold lanterns as they take part in celebrations for the Lunar New Year in Yangon's Chinatown districtYe Aung Thu/AFPMembers of a dragon dance troupe wait to perform in celebrations marking the first day of the Lunar New Year in Yangon's Chinatown districtYe Aung Thu/AFPA man holds a piece of sugar cane with firecrackers attached to it at a temple in Kandal, CambodiaTang Chhin Sothy/AFPA woman offers money to a dog 'begging' at a temple in Kandal, Cambodia, at the start of the Lunar New YearTang Chhin Sothy/AFPSpectators look at a large dog-shaped lantern as part of celebrations for the Lunar New Year and marking the Year of the Dog in Sydney, AustraliaDavid Gray/ReutersA woman lights a candle at a Chinese temple to mark the Lunar New Year in Bandung, West Java province, IndonesiaTimur Matahari/AFPCalligraphers write wishes for people to mark the start of the Lunar New Year outside Tay Ho Temple in Hanoi, VietnamLinh Pham/Getty ImagesA street performer makes his way through Chinatown in LondonJack Taylor/Getty ImagesArtists perform a Lion dance at the Tang Paradise Park in Xian, Shaanxi provinceFred Dufour/AFPMembers of the Chinese community chat as they welcome the Lunar New Year in the Chinatown area of Kolkata, IndiaDibyangshu Sarkar/AFPPeople light fireworks after midnight to celebrate the Lunar New Year, marking the Year of the Dog, in Hancheng, Shaanxi provinceFred Dufour/AFPWorkers sweep a street after people set off firecrackers and fireworks to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Shenyang, Liaoning province, ChinaReutersA woman burns incense and offers prayers at the Thean Hou temple in Kuala Lumpur, decorated with red lanternsManan Vatsyayana/AFP
The streets of Beijing were strangely quiet this year because of a ban on the sale and use of fireworks and firecrackers anywhere within the fifth ring road. The ban is part of government efforts to reduce pollution in the smog-plagued city.
Millions of Chinese migrant workers have taken planes, buses and trains from cities to their home towns so that they could spend Chinese New Year with their families. For many migrant workers in the country's industrialised east, the holiday may be the only time of year they return home to see family and friends.
