The Chinese Lunar New Year begins on Sunday, according to the lunisolar calendar. And this year is the Year of the Rabbit, one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.
Observed by more than a billion people around the world, the main holiday, also known as the Spring Festival, is celebrated not only by people of Chinese descent, but also by those of East Asian cultures.
With China lifting its zero-COVID policy last month, many are traveling to visit family for the first time since the pandemic began. Here’s a look at how people celebrate the new year, traditionally a time for family gatherings, parties, and fireworks.
mass movement of people
Commuters wait for trains at a crowded Shanghai Hongqiao railway station during the peak travel season before the Lunar New Year in mid-January.
(Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Passengers board a train at the Seoul Train Station in Seoul on Friday.
(Ahn Young-joon/The Associated Press)
hanging red lanterns
A symbol of hope and a better future, red lanterns are ubiquitous this time of year. Here, a man walks past trees decorated with lanterns in a Beijing park on Friday.
(Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)
Drivers wait on a street decorated with lanterns in Bangkok’s Chinatown on Thursday.
(Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)
A man walks past festive lanterns in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday.
(Sam Ye/AFP/Getty Images)
visiting temples
Worshipers light incense and offer prayers, believed to bring good luck for the year, at the International Buddhist Temple in Richmond, BC, on Friday.
(Ben Nelms/CBC)
(Ben Nelms/CBC)
A man prays in Manila, Philippines, on January 14.
(Kevin Tristan Spirit/AFP/Getty Images)
holiday preparations
People browse for decorations at a store in Manila on Friday.
(Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images)
Women shop for decorations at a market in Jakarta, Indonesia, on January 12.
(Tatan Syuflana/The Associated Press)
Year of the Cat, too
Kim Phan Nguyễn-Stone, pictured with her daughter in Vancouver, is excited to celebrate the Lunar New Year. She is among the many Vietnamese Canadians who celebrate the arrival of Tết Qu Mão (Year of the cat).
(Ben Nelms/CBC)
Like the Chinese, the Vietnamese lunar calendar runs on a 12-year cycle, with each year corresponding to an animal in the zodiac. Here, people enjoy ice cream next to a large cat statue in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Tuesday.
(Nhac Nguyen/AFP/Getty Images)
In Victoria, James Le, holding a figurine of a cat, a gift from his mother, says the zodiac animal is an important part of his identity.
(Mike MacArthur/CBC)
give away fruits
Tangerines, clementines and kumquats are traditionally given for prosperity and good health. Here, customers buy mandarin trees in Hong Kong.
(Tyrone Siu/Reuters)
People walk past tangerine trees for sale in Manila’s Chinatown district on January 14.
(Kevin Tristan Spirit/AFP/Getty Images)
cakes and sandwiches
The Lunar New Year’s Eve meal is considered the most important meal of the year. Here, a vendor sells traditional Chinese snacks in the Chinatown district of Yangon in Myanmar before the holidays.
(AFP/fake images)
Refreshments are prepared for a celebration in Charlottetown on January 15, where about 500 people gathered.
(Tony Davis/CBC)
A worker packs a New Year gift box with traditional pastries at Daoxiangcun, one of the best-known Chinese bakeries in Beijing, on January 14.
(Caroline Chen/The Associated Press)
lion dances
An important tradition, the lion dance is said to bring prosperity and good luck for the coming year. Youngsters perform a lion dance at the Pondok Indah shopping center in Jakarta on Friday.
(Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)
The Vancouver Lion Dance Association performs choreographed Lunar New Year routines to portray a lion’s quest.
(Mike Zimmer/CBC)
A dragon dance performance is seen in Bangkok earlier this week.
(Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)
