Summary
Traditional prayers, fireworks and street fairs marked Lunar New Year across multiple countries and cities on Tuesday, ushering in the Year of the Horse after the Year of the Snake in China’s zodiac calendar. In Beijing, crowds moved through stalls at the former Temple of Earth, where holiday snacks, toys and trinkets drew visitors.
Sun Jing, who brought her parents to the capital for the holiday, described the atmosphere as familiar and said it matched the level of festivity she remembered from childhood. “I haven’t felt such a strong sense of Lunar New Year festivity in a very, very long time,” she said. The Lunar New Year, one of the most important annual holidays in China and other East Asian nations, is also celebrated outside the region.
Nighttime celebrations in China’s living rooms featured the holiday’s modern side, with humanoid robots taking a central role in the annual TV show for the Spring Festival. The highlight on Monday night in the CCTV Spring Festival gala included a martial arts performance by children and robots, with Unitree Robotics showcasing humanoids that followed different sequences and even brandished swords.
The AP report said the performances reflected China’s push to develop more advanced robots powered by improved AI capabilities. Some viewers praised the robots, while others said the technology disrupted the New Year feeling. “It lacks a bit of the New Year atmosphere,” Li Bo said. “It’s not as enjoyable as when I was little watching the gala.”
Religious and ritual traditions continued alongside the televised performances. In Hong Kong, incense smoke filled the air at a temple as people lined up every year to make wishes for the new year at midnight. Holding a cluster of incense sticks, many bowed several times before planting the incense in containers placed in front of a temple hall.
In Taiwan, the AP reported that a solemn temple bell rang 108 times at the Baoan Temple in Taipei on Tuesday morning, an auspicious number in local practice. Visitors lit incense sticks, bowed and left offerings of flower bouquets on outdoor tables on the temple grounds.
The holiday’s spread to other places was also visible in public events and staged performances. In Vietnam, entertainers sang at an outdoor countdown event before multiple fireworks displays across several cities, with the festival called Tet. In the Russian capital, the AP reported Chinese street fairs and cuisine stalls and two weeks of events in Moscow, while in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Chinese community celebrations in Chinatown featured dragon and lion dances as well as martial arts demonstrations.
In New York City, the AP said crowds gathered in Manhattan’s Chinatown for the 28th annual Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival in Sara D. Roosevelt Park, culminating in firecrackers being set off as part of the effort to scare away bad spirits.
Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to the report.