Welcoming the Year of the Tiger: Lunar New Year celebrations 2022 – in pictures

People shop at the traditional Lunar New Year "Tet" market in the old quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam. The Year of the Tiger begins amid curbs on holiday gatherings, travel restrictions and fears over new coronavirus variants in some countries.

People pray at the temple to celebrate Lunar New Year in New Taipei City, Taiwan, January 31, 2022.

People wearing protective masks, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, walk past lantern decoration on Lunar New Year's Eve at China town in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, January 31, 2022.

Customers take a selfie in front of a decoration shop on Lunar New Year's Eve, in Hong Kong, China January 31, 2022.

A child in a tiger costume walks with a lantern ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year festivity at Yu Garden, following the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Shanghai, China, January 28, 2022.

People wearing protective masks to curb the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walk through the Sea of Love bridge, that is decorated ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, at the Jakarta Aquarium and Safari in Jakarta, Indonesia, January 31.

Divers perform an underwater dragon show at the Jakarta Aquarium and Safari ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year in Jakarta, Indonesia, January 31, 2022.

People walk below a tiger-themed display outside a shopping mall ahead of the Lunar New Year in Bangkok, Thailand on January 14, 2022.

Children pose for a photograph in front of a display at a Chinese temple to mark the start of the Lunar New Year in Banda Aceh on February 1, 2022, ushering in the Year of the Tiger.

A woman lights incense at a Chinese temple to mark the start of the Lunar New Year in Banda Aceh on February 1, 2022, ushering in the Year of the Tiger.