• A woman browses through Lunar New Year lanterns decorations at a shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. AP Photo
    A woman browses through Lunar New Year lanterns decorations at a shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. AP Photo
  • Panda cubs play with decorations at the Shenshuping breeding base of Wolong National Nature Reserve in Wenchuan, China. AFP
    Panda cubs play with decorations at the Shenshuping breeding base of Wolong National Nature Reserve in Wenchuan, China. AFP
  • Members of a lion dance troupe perform in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. AFP
    Members of a lion dance troupe perform in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. AFP
  • Passengers ride a donkey cart in Lopnur county, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China. Reuters
    Passengers ride a donkey cart in Lopnur county, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China. Reuters
  • Decorations are displayed at a shopping mall in Hong Kong. AP Photo
    Decorations are displayed at a shopping mall in Hong Kong. AP Photo
  • A woman takes a selfie in front of a tree decorated with red lanterns in Ditan Park in Beijing, China. Reuters
    A woman takes a selfie in front of a tree decorated with red lanterns in Ditan Park in Beijing, China. Reuters
  • A man prepares decorative Chinese lanterns at a temple in Tangerang, Indonesia. EPA
    A man prepares decorative Chinese lanterns at a temple in Tangerang, Indonesia. EPA
  • Customers look at decorations at a street market in Yangon's Chinatown district in Myanmar. AFP
    Customers look at decorations at a street market in Yangon's Chinatown district in Myanmar. AFP
  • Travellers sit in a train at Beijing Railway Station in China. Reuters
    Travellers sit in a train at Beijing Railway Station in China. Reuters
  • A family passes under a Buddha gate decoration at the Dong Zen temple in Jenjarom, Malaysia. EPA
    A family passes under a Buddha gate decoration at the Dong Zen temple in Jenjarom, Malaysia. EPA
  • People walk by a giant decoration at Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai, China. Reuters
    People walk by a giant decoration at Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai, China. Reuters

Asia

Chinese communities become sea of red for New Year celebrations - in pictures

On February 5, the Chinese calendar will usher in the Year of the Pig

The National

February 01, 2019

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China is greeting the Lunar New Year with celebrations and a travel rush that will see an estimated three billion trips by people around the country.

This year is the Year of the Pig in the 12-year Chinese astrological cycle and waves farewell to the Dog.

The holiday officially starts on Tuesday and is the most important in the Chinese calendar, a time for people to return to their hometowns to reunite with friends and family.

On the festival's eve, people gather for reunion dinners, give red packets of pocket money to youngsters, and light fireworks at midnight.

The capital Beijing and other cities have been festooned with lanterns and other decorations to mark the holiday, which is also celebrated in Vietnam and among other Asian communities.

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