Lunar New Year festivals and prayers are marking the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield.

People in Bangkok, Thailand, gathered at the Leng Noei Yi temple, also known as the Dragon Lotus Temple, on Tuesday to celebrate the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year. The Chinese Lunar New Year also called the Spring Festival,

Lunar New Year tourists are flocking to Thailand. The holidaymakers, many from China, are expected to boost tourism, which has been struggling to recover from the pandemic.

The government expects 770,000 Chinese nationals to visit Thailand during Chinese New Year, from Jan 24 to Feb 2, an increase of 22.6% compared to the Lunar New Year period last year.

Chinese tourists visiting Thailand for Lunar New Year are worried about being kidnapped by gangsters to work in hellish scam centres, despite efforts to reassure them.

People gathered to watch an underwater dragon dance performance at an aquarium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday (1/16). Four divers performed surrounded by fish as a part of early annual Lunar New Year celebrations to welcome in the Year of the Snake on January 29th.

For many, the Lunar New Year is a time to reflect on people they have lost. But it's also a time to set intentions and welcome the new energy of the future.

Thais flocked to Bangkok's Chinatown Monday to shop for food, decorations, and offering items on Monday ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations. The Chinese Lunar New Year, also called the Spring Festival,

Lunar New Year traditions vary greatly among countries or territories covered by Radio Free Asia and its affiliate, BenarNews. Most of China’s 1.4 billion people as well as Chinese communities around the world observe the Lunar New Year, known as Chunjie, or Spring Festival.

Lunar New Year is based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. It begins with the first new moon and ends with the Lantern Festival on the next full moon, 15 days later. The Chinese zodiac operates on a 12-year cycle of animals. 2025 marks the Year of the Snake.