People around Asia have ushered in the Year of the Tiger as they celebrated the Lunar New Year with colourful decorations, dancing, tributes to their ancestors and prayers for good fortune.
It is the third Lunar New Year since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, and again celebrations were more subdued than usual.
Each year is named after one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac in a repeating cycle.
The Year of the Tiger follows the Year of the Ox.
Not surprisingly, depictions of the tiger featured heavily in this year’s decorations, some traditional and others more modern, like robotic-themed tigers at a shopping centre in Beijing.
In the Japanese capital, the Tokyo Tower was illuminated in red with a display to celebrate the diplomatic relationship between Japan and China.
In Cambodia, ethnic Chinese people performed a traditional dragon dance in Phnom Penh, while people prayed for good fortune at the Tai Hong Kong Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand.
In North Korea, people visited statues of former leaders in Pyongyang. In South Korea, North Korean refugees visited the Imjingak Pavilion near the border dividing the Korean peninsula to pay tribute to their ancestors.
