Share and Follow
BEIJING – As the Lunar New Year unfolds this Tuesday, people across the globe are celebrating with fervent prayers, dazzling fireworks, and vibrant festivities.
With the arrival of the Year of the Horse, one of the twelve distinct animals in the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Snake gracefully steps aside.
The Lunar New Year holds the title of the most significant holiday in China and numerous East Asian countries, and its charm even extends beyond the region’s borders to captivate people worldwide.
At the stroke of midnight in Hong Kong, temple grounds become a bustling hub.
There, amidst swirling incense smoke, crowds gather to honor the age-old tradition of queuing up to make heartfelt wishes for the coming year.
Holding up a cluster of incense sticks, many bowed their heads several times before planting the sticks in containers placed in front of a temple hall.
Fireworks light up skies in Vietnam
Entertainers in Vietnam sang at an outdoor countdown event before multiple fireworks shows at several cities in the Southeast Asian nation, where the festival is called Tet.
Light shows lit up bridges and skyscrapers as the fireworks went off and crowds clapped in rhythm to live pop music performances.
Chinese street fairs in Moscow
People sampled Chinese cuisine from stalls and strolled along snowy streets decorated with red lanterns and dragons as two weeks of events got underway Monday at various venues in the Russian capital.
The third annual Lunar New Year celebration comes at at time of warming relations between China and Russia — ties that have frustrated many European governments because of the war in Ukraine.
A temple bell rings 108 times in Taiwan
The solemn peal of a temple bell rang out 108 times — an auspicious number — as people flocked to the Baoan Temple in Taipei on Tuesday morning.
They lit incense sticks, bowed their heads and left offerings of colorful flower bouquets on outdoor tables on the temple grounds in Taiwan’s capital city.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.