Lunar New Year Celebrations Around World Usher in Year of the Dragon [Photos]

January 23rd, 2012

Chinese folk artists perform the lion dance at a temple fair on January 22, 2012 in Beijing, China. (Feng Li /Getty Images)

An elderly Chinese woman attaches a blessing tablet with her new year wishes at the Dongyue Temple in Beijing on January 23, 2012. (Mark Ralston /AFP/Getty Images)

Thousands of people visit a lantern festival in Shanghai, on January 23, 2012. (Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)

A firecracker bursts at a Chinese border town in Ruili in Yunnan, China on January 23, 2012. (Jonathan Kos-Read/Flickr)

A man and woman ring in the new year in costume in Heilongjiang, China on January 22, 2012. (Yao Wenguo/Flickr)

Eating a raw fish salad called yee sang or "prosperity toss" for good luck on January 22, 2012 in Pulau Penang, Malaysia. (C.K. Koay/Flickr)

Lanterns on display on January 23, 2012 in China. (Yang Yun/Flickr)

People visit the Jing'an Temple on West Nanjing Road, in Shanghai, China on January 23, 2012. (Benjamin Linh Vu/Flickr)

Traditional Vietnamese rice cakes made in Houston, Texas on January 21, 2012. (Hoàng Long Lê/Flickr)

The Vietnamese call the New Year, Tết, and celebrations include giving money to family members. Photo taken January 23, 2012 in Hoa, Vietnam. (Khánh Hmoong/Flickr)

Bangkok Chinatown celebrates the Year of the Dragon on January 23, 2012. (Alexandre Marchand /Flickr)

Crates of fireworks in Shanghai, China on January 23, 2012. (Benjamin Linh Vu/Flickr)

Chinese drums and cymbals are played by children of troupe members on January 23, 2012 in Pulau Penang, Malaysia. (C.K. Koay/Flickr)

The Loyang Tau Pek Kong temple in Singapore on January 22, 2012. (Myna Bird/Flickr)

Celebrations at the Nan Tien Temple in the Australian city of Wollongong on January 23, 2012. (Steven/Flickr)

Dragon heads in Georgetown, Guyana on January 22, 2012. (Amanda Richards /Flickr)

Decorations and presents are being sold on January 23, 2012 in Hebei, China. (le niners/Flickr)

A Chinese dragon at the Li Wah Dim Sum-41 restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 21, 2012. (Edsel Little /Flickr)

Fireworks burst over Darling Harbour in Sydney, Australia on January 21, 2012. (Nigel Howe/Flickr)

Tangyuan, traditional Chinese rice flour dumplings, in a sweet ginger soup on January 22, 2012. (Renée S./Flickr)

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Around the world — from Houston to Sydney to Shanghai — people are celebrating the start of the Lunar New Year and welcoming the Year of the Dragon. The Dragon represents good fortune and power, and the year is considered to be particularly auspicious because it is the only mythical animal in the Chinese zodiac. Also, for the first time in 60 years, the element water intersects, symbolizing more calm, opportunity and growth.

Chris Livaccari, Director of Education and Chinese Language Initiatives at Asia Society, told Yahoo Shine, "I think some people tend to think of these holidays and celebrations as something very exotic, but most people in contemporary East Asia see this time as an opportunity to take a break from school and work and reconnect with family, much like we would on Thanksgiving or Christmas."

Asia Society invites you and your family to ring in this Year of the Water Dragon on February 4, 2012 in New York with a lion dance, a kung fu demonstration, music and storytelling from China, and a ceramics and puppet workshop.

Asia Society President Vishakha Desai offered her best wishes. "As we enter the Year of the Dragon, let me wish all of you a wonderfully creative year, a hallmark of the Dragon Year, and a peacefully productive 2012."

About the Author

Shreeya Sinha is an award-winning Journalist, Multimedia Producer and Social Media Editor for Asia Society. She was raised in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and India.

@shreeyasinha