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Chinese Lunar New Year begins Sunday, according to the lunisolar calendar. And this year it’s the Year of the Rabbit — one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.
Observed by over a billion people worldwide, the major holiday, also known as Spring Festival, is not only celebrated by people of Chinese descent but also those of East Asian cultures.
With China lifting its zero COVID policy last month, many are travelling to visit family for the first time since the pandemic began. Here’s a look at how people are marking the new year, traditionally a time for family gatherings, feasts and fireworks.
Mass movement of people
Travellers wait for trains at a packed Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station during the peak travel rush ahead of Lunar New Year in mid-January.
(Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Passengers board a train at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul on Friday.
(Ahn Young-joon/The Associated Press)
Hanging red lanterns
Red lanterns, a symbol of hope and a brighter future, are ubiquitous this time of year. Here, a man walks past trees decorated with lanterns at a park in Beijing 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 by festive lanterns in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday.
(Sam Ye/AFP/Getty Images)
Visiting temples
Worshippers light incense and offer prayers, believed to bring good luck for the year, at the International Buddhist Temple in Richmond, B.C., on Friday.
(Ben Nelms/CBC)
(Ben Nelms/CBC)
A man prays in Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 14.
(Kevin Tristan Espiritu/AFP/Getty Images)
Holiday preps
People browse for ornaments at a shop in Manila on Friday.
(Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images)
Women shop for decorations at a market in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Jan. 12.
(Tatan Syuflana/The Associated Press)
Year of the Cat, too
Kim Phan Nguyễn-Stone, pictured with her daughter in Vancouver, is excited about marking the Lunar New Year. They are among the many Vietnamese Canadians celebrating the arrival of Tết Quý 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 a zodiac animal. 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, who holds a cat figurine — a gift from his mother — says the zodiac animal is an important part of their identity.
(Mike McArthur/CBC)
Gifting fruits
Tangerines, clementines and kumquats are traditionally given for prosperity and good health. Here, customers shop for tangerine trees in Hong Kong.
(Tyrone Siu/Reuters)
People walk past tangerine trees for sale in Manila’s Chinatown district on Jan. 14.
(Kevin Tristan Espiritu/AFP/Getty Images)
Pastries and snacks
The Lunar New Year’s Eve meal is considered the most important meal of the year. Here, a vendor sells traditional Chinese snacks in Yangon’s Chinatown district in Myanmar ahead of the holiday.
(AFP/Getty Images)
Snacks are laid out for a celebration in Charlottetown on Jan. 15 where about 500 people gathered.
(Tony Davis/CBC)
A worker packs a new year gift box with traditional pastries at a Daoxiangcun, one of the best-known Chinese bakeries in Beijing, on Jan. 14.
(Caroline Chen/The Associated Press)
Lion dances
An important tradition, a lion dance is said to bring prosperity and good luck for the coming year. Young people perform a lion dance at Pondok Indah shopping mall in Jakarta on Friday.
(Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)
The Vancouver Lion Dance Association performs Lunar New Year routines choreographed to portray a lion’s quest.
(Mike Zimmer/CBC)
A dragon dance performance is seen in Bangkok earlier this week.
(Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)
