Hundreds of millions of people across East and Southeast Asia are celebrating the Lunar New Year on Wednesday, bidding farewell to the Year of the Dragon and welcoming the Year of the Snake.
In China, people enjoy eight days off for the Spring Festival, a time to gather with family, enjoy traditional foods, watch performances, and set off fireworks. Train stations and airports have been packed with travelers returning home, making this year’s holiday migration one of the largest ever.
Across the region, cities like Seoul, Singapore, and Hanoi are adorned with red banners, which are believed to bring good luck and keep evil away. In Taiwan, temples were filled with visitors offering fruit, sweets, and prayers for a prosperous year ahead. Many people also rushed to be the first to light incense, believing it brings good fortune.
The holiday season in China will see an estimated nine billion trips across the country as people visit their families. However, snowstorms in South Korea have disrupted travel, with delays in trains, buses, and flights as people made their way to the countryside. Despite this, many opted for overseas travel, with Incheon Airport expecting over 2 million passengers during the holiday period.
Even in space, celebrations were held, as Chinese astronauts on the Tiangong space station sent greetings to Earth, dressed in festive attire and wishing everyone a prosperous new year.