Greater than a billion folks the world over, from China to the Philippines to diaspora communities in the USA, started celebrating the Lunar New Yr on Tuesday with fireworks, household time and feasts.
On Wednesday, the primary new moon of the Yr of the Snake will mark the upcoming arrival of spring.
Referred to as Seollal in South Korea and Tet in Vietnam, the start of the lunisolar 12 months is an important vacation in lots of Asian nations. In China, it prompts the world’s largest annual migration. Tons of of thousands and thousands of individuals courageous jammed roads, prepare stations and airports, many making the exodus from main cities to their hometowns.
Lunar New Yr traditions fluctuate throughout and inside nations, however comparable threads run all through: household time, rituals for prosperity and to honor ancestors, and marathon feasts. Many flock to temples to position choices of conventional meals, and lightweight incense at altars for ancestors and elders.
In China, kids obtain crimson envelopes as blessings from their relations. In Southeast Asia, dragon dances, believed to convey good luck, prosperity and rain, are held within the streets — and typically underwater.
Right here’s how folks stated goodbye to the Yr of the Dragon and welcomed the Yr of the Snake:
