Lunar New Year lights up Asia: Year of the Rabbit kicks off with a bang with fireworks and wild celebrations in capital cities across the continent

• The Chinese New Year celebrations start today on January 21, heralding the start of The Year of The Rabbit
• Areas from all over are gathering to mark the occasion, including Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Indonesia
• Lasting until February 9, 2024, the year will celebrate the symbolic mammals known for their deftness, cautiousness and competitive nature in Chinese culture

The Lunar New Year is lighting up the whole of Asia as the Year of the Rabbit kicks off with a bang as fireworks and wild celebrations can be found in capital cities across the continent. 

Beginning on Sunday, January 22, the Chinese Lunar New Year signals the start of the Year of the Rabbit, the fourth sign in the 12-animal zodiac.

Lasting until February 9, 2024, this year will celebrate the symbolically significant rabbit – known for their deftness, cautiousness and competitive nature in Chinese culture.

The Festival is not only celebrated in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong – it is also one of the most revered holidays across countries with large Chinese populations in Asia, such as Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Korea.

The Chinese Lunar New Year brings a vast amount of colour and lights as the Year of the Rabbit kicks off with a bang

 The lanterns are expected to be visited by thousands of people throughout its two-week inauguration

 People have gathered from all over to pose and to celebrate with loved ones as they are surrounded by lanterns in the Chinese colours of red 

Various rabbit-themed lanterns and decorations are on display at the annual Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple

The allocated qualities can be traced back to the origin story thought to have created the Chinese zodiac, where 12 animals were challenged with a race to the gates of heaven.

Each sign of the Chinese zodiac found in the story ‘rules’ over an entire year, bringing with it particular energy to everything that occurs over the next 12 months.

The year of the Rabbit is highly anticipated to signal good fortune for those born in the years, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, and 2023.

Following the example of the Rabbit, people are hoping that 2023 is to be a year of drive and ambition in the quest to find resolutions to any predicament that may present itself.

The centerpiece of a giant bunny lantern stands tall to mark the Year of the Rabbit, which begins on Sunday January 22

Beginning on Sunday, January 22, the Chinese Lunar New Year signals the start of the Year of the Rabbit, the fourth sign in the 12-animal zodiac

A couple take a selfie in front of lanterns decoration at Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Buddhist Temple

Worshippers wearing face masks line up to enter the Wong Tai Sin Temple to burn their first joss sticks in Hong Kong

Lasting until February 9, 2024, this year will celebrate the symbolically significant rabbit – known for their deftness, cautiousness and competitive nature in Chinese culture

An installation in a lantern festival to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year at a shopping mall in Tangerang, Indonesia

The spirit of the rabbit is certainly fitting as it is the first time people in China can truly enjoy the celebrations without the shadow of Covid lockdowns hanging over them.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, China has been desperately scrambling to suppress virus outbreaks by locking down regions at the first sign of new infections in preparation for the New Year festivities. 

An estimate from the Chinese Ministry of Transportation announced that 1.18 billion trips will be made this year in anticipation of the Lunar celebrations. 

Thai people pose with Lunar New Year and Year of the Rabbit decorations on the eve of Lunar New Year in Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand

The allocated qualities can be traced back to the origin story thought to have created the Chinese zodiac

The Chinese diaspora of Southeast Asia is celebrating a lively Lunar New Year as COVID-19 restrictions have been removed

It is traditionally a time for people to meet their relatives and take part in celebrations with families

Red is known as China’s good luck color, believed to scare away spirits of bad fortune and is often featured during the celebration

The Chinese festivity’s importance lies within its history – yet it still remains the most important occasion for generations of families to reunite and spend time together

People light candles and burn incense during Lunar New Year celebrations at a temple in Banda Aceh, Indonesia

In China, people wear red jackets and jumpers to the streets, buy red lanterns and paper-cuttings and write couplets to decorate their homes and even prepare red steamed buns to be eaten during family dinners.

Colours play a poignant role in Chinese culture as they represent multiple qualities and ideas that were formed over thousands of years ago. 

Red is known as China’s good luck color, believed to scare away spirits of bad fortune.

The Chinese festivity’s importance lies within its history – yet it still remains the most important occasion for generations of families to reunite and spend time together.

A woman holds her child wearing red t-shirt, as the colour of luck as she walks past lantern decorations on Lunar New Year’s Eve in China Town in Bangkok, Thailand

Fireworks are pictured adoring the skies as people gather together to celebrate the beloved festivities

People are pictured in groups in the street sharing tradition dishes with one another as The Lunar New Year celebrations are underway

Following the example of the Rabbit, 2023 is a year of drive and ambition in the quest to find a resolution to a predicament that has presented itself out of no personal fault or inadequacy

Pictured: An ice sculpture of a rabbit, this year’s celebrated mammal, lights up the darkness

People are pictured walking under beautiful displays of light with a deeply rooted cultural significance 

The celebration is believed to ensure good fortune for the coming year and has many religious traditions and beliefs that hold great importance for its culture.

The holiday is referred to as the Lunar New Year as the festival celebrates the new year according to the Chinese lunar calendar.

Taoists, – a Taoist priest, monk, master or Professional Taoist, is a priest in Taoism  – attend a Lunar New Year ceremony in Hong Kong

The celebration is believed to ensure good fortune for the coming year and has many religious traditions and beliefs that hold great importance for its culture

The holiday is referred to as the Lunar New Year as the festival celebrates the new year according to the Chinese lunar calendar

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