In Pictures

In Pictures: Chinese communities celebrate Lunar New Year

The Year of the Pig is being welcomed by Chinese communities all over the world.

Visitors walk through a tunnel decorated with lanterns at a lightshowto celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, in Xian, Shaanxi, China February 1, 2019. Picture taken February 1, 2019. REUTER — Visitors walk through a tunnel decorated with lanterns at a light show to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year in Xian, Shaanxi, China. [Reuters]

The Chinese Lunar New Year is being celebrated around the world with lanterns, performances, decorations and food.

People are bidding farewell to the Year of the Dog in the 12-year Chinese astrological cycle and welcoming the Year of the Pig with hopes of happiness and good fortune.

On the eve of the New Year, members of Chinese communities gathered for reunion dinners, gave red packets of money to children and lit firecrackers at midnight.

Earlier on Tuesday, the first day of the Year of the Pig, hundreds lined up outside famous temples to burn the first joss sticks of the year, expecting it to bring them good luck.

The streets were decorated, kiosks set up and traditional dragon dancers leapt in the air.

The colour red dominated the celebrations – on lanterns, clothes and signs. In homes and shops, pig dolls were displayed for the festival, which is also celebrated in Vietnam and by ethnic Chinese communities across Asia.

A performer dressed as an emperor, center, participates in a Qing Dynasty ceremony in which emperors prayed for good harvest and fortune at a temple fair in Ditan Park in Beijing, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 201 — A performer dressed as an emperor participates in a Qing Dynasty ceremony in which emperors prayed for good harvest and fortune at a temple fair in Ditan Park in Beijing. [Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo]

Malaysia ethnic Chinese take a selfie by a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. Chinese around the world will be celebrating the start of the Year of Pig on Feb. 5 this year in the — A group of ethnic Chinese Malaysians take a selfie by a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Chinese around the world will be celebrating the start of the Year of the Pig in the Chinese lunar calendar. [Yam G-Jun/AP Photo]

Indonesian ethnic Chinese pray during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations at a temple in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 04 February 2019. The Chinese Lunar New Year, also called the Spring Festival, falls on — Indonesian ethnic Chinese pray during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations at a temple in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. [Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA]

Children wearing costumes wait to perform during an event to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China February 2, 2019. Picture taken February 2, 2019. REUTERS/Stringe — Children wearing costumes wait to perform during an event to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China. [Reuters]

People pray, offer flowers and food inside the Lungshan Temple during the Chinese New Year celebration in Taipei, Taiwan, 05 February 2019. The Chinese New Year, or Year of the Pig, begins on 05 Febru — People pray and offer flowers and food inside the Lungshan Temple during the celebration in Taipei, Taiwan. [Ritchie B. Tondo/EPA]

Performers on stilts watch a drum performance at Ditan Park in Beijing, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. Chinese people are celebrating the first day of the Lunar New Year on Tuesday, the Year of the Pig on the — Performers on stilts watch a drum performance at Ditan Park in Beijing. During the holiday, which is also called Spring Festival, Chinese all over the world reunite with family members, visit friends and relatives, exchange gifts, give red envelopes of money to children, set off firecrackers and visit temples to pray for peace in the new year. [Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo]

A woman lights incense while praying in a Chinese temple during the celebration of the Lunar New Year in Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand February 4, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Silva TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY — A woman lights incense while praying in a Chinese temple during the celebration in Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand. [Jorge Silva/Reuters]

People burn incense sticks to pray for good fortune on the eve of Chinese Lunar New Year of the Pig, at a temple on Zhenwu Mountain in Xiangyang, Hubei province, China late February 4, 2019. Picture t — People burn incense sticks to pray for good fortune on the eve of Chinese Lunar New Year of the Pig, at a temple on Zhenwu Mountain in Xiangyang, Hubei province, China. [Reuters]

Performers wearing imperial costumes parade during Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival celebration at Chinatown in Yangon, Myanmar, 05 February 2019. The Chinese New Year, the Year of the Pig, b — Performers wearing imperial costumes parade during Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival celebration at Chinatown in Yangon, Myanmar. [Lynn Bo Bo/EPA]