Street parties, celebrations around the world

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Hundreds of New Yorkers ring in the Lunar New Year.
LONDON: Installations at the Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House Gardens, where more than 50 giant, hand-sculpted lanterns mark Chinese New Year in a spectacular art and light experience. NEW YORK: Women in traditional dress from southern Chin
BEIJING: A lion dance being performed at a temple fair in Ditan Park on the first day of Chinese New Year. There was little traffic in the Chinese capital as over 15 million returned to their home towns for family reunions. PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON: Installations at the Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House Gardens, where more than 50 giant, hand-sculpted lanterns mark Chinese New Year in a spectacular art and light experience. NEW YORK: Women in traditional dress from southern Chin
LONDON: Installations at the Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House Gardens, where more than 50 giant, hand-sculpted lanterns mark Chinese New Year in a spectacular art and light experience. PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON: Installations at the Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House Gardens, where more than 50 giant, hand-sculpted lanterns mark Chinese New Year in a spectacular art and light experience. NEW YORK: Women in traditional dress from southern Chin
NEW YORK: Women in traditional dress from southern China performing at Sara D. Roosevelt Park in Chinatown. City public schools in New York were closed for Chinese New Year for the first time on Monday. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LONDON: Installations at the Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House Gardens, where more than 50 giant, hand-sculpted lanterns mark Chinese New Year in a spectacular art and light experience. NEW YORK: Women in traditional dress from southern Chin
KUALA LUMPUR: A devotee offering incense for good luck at Guan Di Temple in Chinatown on Monday. Lion dances, meant to scare away evil spirits and bring luck, were held at Malaysia's Chinese temples. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

BEIJING • Colourful festivities to usher in the Year of the Fire Monkey have been held around the world, featuring street parties, performances and fireworks displays.

Millions celebrate Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, with life coming to a standstill in many parts of Asia, including in China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Vietnam.

In Beijing, thousands visited traditional fairs and open-air markets.

At a temple fair in Ditan Park, or the Temple of Earth, there were traditional dances and gong and drum performances.

There was little traffic around the city, as more than 15 million people travelled to their home towns for family reunions.

Ethnic Chinese communities in other countries also marked the holiday. Lion dances, meant to scare away evil spirits and bring luck, were held at Chinese temples in Malaysia, while families gave offerings and prayed for good health and fortune.

In Thailand, where 14 per cent of the population is ethnic Chinese, tourists and residents watched a dragon dance performance in Bangkok's Chinatown.

In Manila's Chinatown - the world's oldest - dance troupes entertained the crowds and fireworks capped the celebrations at midnight on Sunday.

The Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia were lit red.

In New York, city public schools were closed for the holiday for the first time on Monday. About a sixth of the city's 1.1 million public school students are of Asian descent. Crowds gathered to watch traditional performances at a park in Manhattan's Chinatown.

In London, Britain, the Magical Lantern Festival drew visitors at Chiswick House Gardens, where there are more than 50 giant, hand-sculpted lanterns to mark Chinese New Year.

AGENCE FRANCE- PRESSE, REUTERS, XINHUA

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 10, 2016, with the headline Street parties, celebrations around the world. Subscribe