In pictures: Ushering in the Lunar New Year

On February 1, 2022, the world ushered in the Lunar New Year with unique traditions and celebrations around the globe, including feasts, decorations, costumes, dances and prayers.

The Lunar New year is a centuries-old celebration that is still commemorated in several countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Cambodia, in addition to the Solar New Year.

The beginning of the Lunar New Year changes each year as it is based on a lunisolar calendar, meaning the calendar is built on the phases of the moon - with twelve phases of approximately 29 days - ending up in an annual cycle of around 354 days.

The first day of the lunar year corresponds to the first new moon of the lunar calendar, which occurs some time in late January to early February.

Each lunar year is associated with one of the 12 animals from the Chinese zodiac, leading to 12-year cycles. 2022 is the Year of the Tiger, the third in the 12 year cycle. The last Year of the Tiger was in 2010 - 12 years ago - and the next will be in 2034 - 12 years later.

The Year of the Tiger will end on January 21, 2023, marking the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit.

The animals of the Chinese zodiac are lined up in a specific order based on ancient Chinese folk stories. One of those stories is the “Great Race” and describes the Jade Emperor, a prevailing deity in Chinese mythology, calling 13 animals to race towards him by crossing a river.

The years would be named in the order that the animals arrived in, beginning with the rat followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and lastly the pig. The 13th animal, a cat, was among the first in line to arrive but was drowned by the rat.

In honour of the Year of the Tiger, the decorations and costumes of this year’s festivities were abundant in Tiger figures.

2022 marked the third Lunar New Year under the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic. Traditional festivities were, once again, downsized and restricted due to preventative coronavirus measures.

The Lunar New Year is the prevailing annual holiday in China. Celebrations usually start the day before the new year’s first day and carry on until the 15th day of the new year, which marks the Lantern Festival.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Chinese people ushered in the Lunar New Year in small crowds gathered at the gates of closed temples, while some smaller temples remained open for prayers.

Moreover, the Lunar New Year started only a few days before the Beijing Winter Olympics this year, introducing further restrictions to Olympics-related cities.

The restrictions included curbs on fireworks, a traditional element in Lunar New Year celebrations in China that is meant to expel bad luck, with Beijing bringing a complete ban on fireworks.

There are several traditions involved in celebrating and welcoming the Lunar New Year, with some practises changing among different cultures. Another popular practice, in addition to burning incense, is giving and receiving red envelopes filled with cash, a symbol of good wishes.

In Cambodia, people celebrated the Lunar New Year with another widespread tradition -  the dragon dance - in Phnom Penh. In other parts of the country, people gathered in temples to carry out traditional festivities.

Certain foods are also at the spotlight during the Lunar New Year, with dumplings associated with wealth and prosperity, fish symbolising abundance, and more.

The Lunar New Year was celebrated in the West as well, with countries like the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Spain joining the public festivities.