Lunar new year celebrations around the world – in pictures

Some of the best photographs as people welcome the arrival of the year of the ox

Main image: People burn incense and pray for good luck on the eve of lunar new year at a temple in Nanning, in China’s southern Guangxi region. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

  • Yokohama, Japan

    Women wearing traditional outfits chat during subdued lunar new year celebrations. Yokohama’s Chinatown, the largest in Japan, has imposed restrictions on celebrations as the country continues to grapple with Covid-19
    Women wearing traditional outfits chat during subdued lunar new year celebrations in Yokohama, Japan

  • Wuhan, China

    People visit Yangtze Riverfront Park in Hubei province
    People visit Yangtze Riverfront Park in Wuhan, China

  • Jakarta, Indonesia

    Divers wearing costumes perform a traditional lion dance at Jakarta aquarium and safari conservation park
    Divers wearing costumes perform a traditional lion dance at Jakarta aquarium and safari conservation park, Indonesia

  • Bangkok, Thailand

    People light incense at a shrine at Lhong 1919, a restored 19th-century Chinese mansion
    People light incense at a shrine at a restored 19th-century Chinese mansion in Bangkok, Thailand

  • Paju, South Korea

    An elderly couple drink coffee in front of a barbed wire fence at the Imjingak tourist park beside the civilian buffer zone that leads to the demilitarised zone separating North and South Korea
    An elderly couple drink coffee in front of a barbed wire fence at the Imjingak tourist park in Paju, South Korea

  • North Korea

    An image released by the Korean Central News Agency shows the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, posing with performers during celebrations
    The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, poses with performers during celebrations in North Korea

  • Hanoi, Vietnam

    Two women check their smartphones at Tran Quoc pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in the city
    Two women check their smartphones at Tran Quoc pagoda in Hanoi, Vietnam

  • Texas, US

    The JL Lion Dance Sports Association performs during a celebration at Dao Quang temple in Garland
    The JL Lion Dance Sports Association performs during a celebration at Dao Quang temple in Texas, US

  • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    A health worker sprays disinfectant in between scheduled prayer hours at Thean Hou temple. In Malaysia, a movement control order amid the Covid pandemic has forced ethnic Chinese families to celebrate only with their immediate relatives, and for temple visits to be made in small numbers
    A health worker sprays disinfectant in between scheduled prayer hours at Thean Hou temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

  • Manila, the Philippines

    A man prays alone inside an almost empty Seng Guan temple, which is usually crowded during lunar new year celebrations
    A man prays alone inside an almost empty Seng Guan temple in Manila, the Philippines

  • Jakarta, Indonesia

    Worshippers release birds for good luck at Dharma Bhakti temple
    Worshippers release birds for good luck at Dharma Bhakti temple in Jakarta, Indonesia

  • Bali, Indonesia

    A woman burns incense sticks to pray at a Chinese temple in Kuta
    A woman burns incense sticks to pray at a Chinese temple in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

  • Singapore

    A man seen at a lantern display at the Gardens by the Bay. In Singapore, where the spread of Covid-19 has been less extensive, each household is permitted to have up to eight visitors per day, and authorities are encouraging the ethnic Chinese majority to visit no more than two households
    A man seen at a lantern display at the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore

  • Bangkok, Thailand

    People wear traditional Chinese outfits as they walk in Chinatown
    People wear traditional Chinese outfits as they walk in Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand

  • Beijing, China

    A worker installs traditional Chinese lanterns along an alley in the capital
    A worker installs traditional Chinese lanterns along an alley in Beijing, China

  • Bangkok, Thailand

    People sit in a restaurant in Chinatown
    Bangkok, Thailand People sit in a restaurant in Chinatown

  • Beijing, China

    The National Center for the Performing Arts is illuminated
    The National Center for the Performing Arts is illuminated in Beijing, China

  • Bandung, Indonesia

    A man prays at the Dharma Ramsi Temple during the Lunar New Year celebrations
    A man prays at the Dharma Ramsi Temple during the Lunar New Year celebrations, Bandung, Indonesia

  • Beijing, China

    People wearing face masks queue to enter Tiananmen Gate
    People wearing face masks queue to enter Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, China

  • New Delhi, India

    Tibetan refugees leave after offering their prayers at a temple on the first day of lunar new year
    Tibetan refugees leave after offering their prayers at a temple in New Delhi, India

  • Hong Kong

    Actor Lana Wong, wearing an ox costume, holds a burning joss stick during prayers in Wong Tai Sin temple
    Actor Lana Wong, wearing an ox costume, prays in Wong Tai Sin temple, Hong Kong

  • Ha Nam, Vietnam

    Bui Van Cuong wears a gas mask as he braises black carp in clay pots with firewood to serve as a traditional Vietnamese dish
    Bui Van Cuong wears a gas mask as he braises black carp in clay pots in Ha Nam, Vietnam

  • Samut Prakan, Thailand

    Lunar New Year at a Chinese temple
    Samut Prakan, Thailand Lunar New Year at a Chinese temple

  • Tyva, Russia

    A shaman conducts san salyr, a sacred fire-lighting rite, during celebrations of Shagaa, the lunar new year
    A shaman conducts a sacred fire-lighting rite in Tyva, Russia

  • Aldershot, UK

    Matt Williams, a lion dance instructor from the World Eagle Claw Association UK, gives his costumes an airing with Greg Currie. All his bookings and performances have been cancelled because of Covid
    Matt Williams, a lion dance instructor from the World Eagle Claw Association UK, gives his costumes an airing with Greg Currie in Aldershot, UK

  • Sydney, Australia

    A man is interrupted by lion dancers from the Jin Wu Koon dance troupe as he plays arcade games at the Haymarket shopping centre
    A man is interrupted by lion dancers as he plays arcade games in Sydney, Australia
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