From Mexico City to Tokyo, vibrant celebrations kicked off to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
The Year of the Dog is officially here, and Friday marks the start of celebrations for the Chinese New Year, which are set to continue this weekend. This year, the Chinese New Year, which is also sometimes referred to as the Lunar New Year, began on Friday, Feb. 16 and lasts through Sunday, Feb. 18.
The festival is centuries old, celebrating the new year according to Chinese calendar. Each year is associated with a different animal, and 2018 is the Year of the Dog. The dog is one of 12 animals associated with the Chinese New Year and is signifies loyalty.
Most Chinese New Year celebrations involve firework displays, family feasts, visiting temples, and paying respects to one’s ancestors. It’s also a chance for people to prepare for good fortune in the upcoming year.
Chinese New Year celebrations have already begun in many cities ranging from New York City to Beijing to Sydney. In Vietnam, throngs of people lined the streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter Friday to watch the fireworks in honor of the Chinese New Year. And in Sichuan, China, a large crowd took part in a traditional dragon dance, where a group of dancers emulate the mythical beast’s movements.
See photos from Lunar New Year celebrations all over the world above.
Fireworks light up the sky during the Chinese New Year Eve celebrations at the Pak Pie Hut Cou temple in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Feb. 16, 2018. Dedi Sinuhaji—EPA-EFE/ShutterstockYoung women in traditional Chinese costumes hold lanterns as they take part in celebrations marking the first day of the Lunar New Year in Yangon's Chinatown district on Feb. 16, 2018.Ye Aung Thu—AFP/Getty ImagesAerial view of a large crowd watching dragon dance to welcome Lunar New Year on Feb. 16, 2018 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province of China. VCG/Getty ImagesPeople watch a firework display to mark the Lunar New Year celebrations of the Year of the Dog at the Old Quarter on Feb. 16, 2018 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Linh Pham—Getty ImagesA view of the Chinese New Year's celebrations in the Chinese district in Mexico City, Feb. 15, 2018.Sashenka Gutierrez—EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Dancers with traditional Pekin Opera costume, prepare to parade near Tang Paradise park in Xian, Shaanxi province, on Feb. 14, 2018, ahead of the coming Lunar New Year, marking the Year of the Dog. Fred Dufour—AFP/Getty ImagesIndonesians of Chinese descent pray with incense and joss sticks for good fortune to mark the Chinese Lunar New Year at Amurva Bhumi Temple in Jakarta, Indonesia on Feb. 15, 2018. Afriadi Hikmal—NurPhoto/Sipa USAChinese performers dressed in traditional costumes rest as they attend a rehearsal of a reenactment of a Qing Dynasty imperial sacrifice ritual to worship the Earth, on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year, at Ditan Park in Beijing, Feb. 15, 2018.Roman Pilpey—EPA-EFE/ShutterstockDevotees wait to place incense sticks onto the urn after midnight at the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple in Waterloo Street in Singapore on Feb. 16, 2018.Then Chih Wey—Xinhua/Sipa USAA lion dance is performed inside a restaurant as part of Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown, Yokohama, near Tokyo, Feb. 16, 2018.Alessandro Di Ciommo—NurPhoto/Sipa USA
