Chinese New Year Celebrations Around The World

Chinese people start to prepare for the celebrations several weeks in advance, and festivities often last more than two weeks. The Chinese New Year jollity ends with the Lantern Festival, one of the most beautiful and spectacular events in China.

Each year, the Eastern calendar corresponds not only with a "totem" animal (there are 12 of them, just like the signs of the zodiac), but also a certain element and color. This combination gives the name of the new year, and they are repeated only every 60 years.

The year 2023 will be the year of the Black Water Rabbit. The history of the Chinese New Year goes back several millennia and is associated with a large variety of traditions and signs.

Take a look at Sputnik's photo gallery showing Chinese New Year celebrations around the world:

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Artists in national costumes carry an 18-meter dragon through the Chinese New Year celebration at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNKh) in Moscow.

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A performer takes part in a parade celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Rabbit, in central Milan, Italy, on 22 January 2023.

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Performers take part in the parade celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Rabbit, in central London, on 22 January 2023.

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Participants perform during the Lunar New Year Parade in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, DC, on 22 January 2023.

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A dancer performs during the Lunar New Year celebration in Panama City, on Sunday 22 January 2023. Chinese communities worldwide are celebrating as they welcome the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac.

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A fire breather blows flames during the celebrations for the Lunar New Year in the Usera district of Madrid, Spain on Sunday 22 January 2023. Chinese people worldwide are celebrating as they usher in the Year of the Rabbit.

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A performer looks out of a dragon mask before the Lunar New Year parade in London, on Sunday 22 January 2023. The parade celebrated the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, with thousands of onlookers enjoying the spectacular show and Lion Dances in the capital.

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People take part in the festivities for the Lunar New Year in Mexico City's Chinatown on 22 January 2023.

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Performers celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year in New York's Chinatown on 22 January 2023.

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Performers take part in a parade celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Rabbit, in central Milan, Italy, on 22 January 2023.