Photos: Asia welcomes Lunar New Year of the Dragon with temple visits and celebrations

Devotees, dressed in red, a lucky color in Chinese culture, mark the start of the year

Published: February 10, 2024 14:40 Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor and with inputs from AP

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People across Asia welcomed the Lunar New Year on Saturday with family gatherings, festivals and temple visits to ask for blessings. Image Credit: AP

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The Lunar New Year is the most important annual holiday in China, a time for reunions with relatives and friends and to enjoy festive feasts. Image Credit: Reuters

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People watch the dragon dance at Binondo, the Chinatown of Manila, Philippines. Each year is named after one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, with this year being the Year of the Dragon — widely considered the most auspicious zodiac sign in Chinese communities. Image Credit: Reuters

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A traditional dragon dance in Kolkata, India. The Year of the Dragon is also a popular year to give birth for Chinese because many couples hope their children will possess remarkable qualities symbolized by dragons, including strength, power and success. Image Credit: AFP

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Many residents of Hong Kong dressed in red, a lucky color in Chinese culture, to mark the start of the year. Image Credit: Reuters

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In gatherings, they savored rice cakes and turnip cakes, with children receiving cash-stuffed red envelopes as blessings from their married relatives. Image Credit: AFP

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Outdoor exhibitions and floral displays prepared for the festival offered a chance for revelers to pose for photos. Image Credit: AFP

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In Beijing, crowds of people flocked to temple fairs to see traditional folk performances and bought snacks and artwork from booths. Image Credit: Reuters

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Many lit incense sticks to pray for good health and fortune. Image Credit: Reuters

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Along with the predominantly Chinese societies in the Greater China region, the festival is also celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam and in overseas Chinese communities. Image Credit: AP

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In Myanmar and Malaysia, worshippers visited temples to pray for good luck and blessings. Image Credit: AFP

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Diners watch a lion dance in a restaurant of the Chinatown area of Yokohama, Japan. Image Credit: AFP

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