Year of the Dragon: Millions around the world celebrate Lunar New Year

ITV News' Olivia Guthrie rounds up the best of the celebrations as millions around the world usher in the Year of the Dragon

Millions of people around the world have celebrated the Lunar New Year - one of the largest events in east and south-east Asian communities.

The annual holiday has been marked by reunions between family and friends, with festive treats aplenty.

Each year is named after one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, with this year being the Year of the Dragon.

Sculptor creates tiny golden dragon smaller than a matchstick for Lunar New Year
Worshippers pray at a temple in Hong Kong to welcome in the Year of the Dragon. Credit: AP

In China, the Year of the Dragon is a popular birth year because many couples hope their children will possess remarkable qualities symbolised by dragons, including strength, power and success.

Along with the predominantly Chinese societies in the Greater China region, the festival is also celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam and in overseas Chinese communities.

Residents in Hong Kong this year dressed in red - a lucky colour in Chinese culture - to recognise the occasion.

Exiled Tibetan Buddhist monks blow ceremonial conch shells during an early morning prayer session. Credit: AP

People there gathered to savour snacks - such as rice and turnip cakes - with children receiving cash-stuffed red envelopes as blessings from their married relatives.

In the Chinese capital, Beijing, crowds of people flocked to temple fairs to see traditional folk performances.

Worshippers in Myanmar and Malaysia, meanwhile, celebrated the start of the Lunar New Year by visiting temples to pray for good luck and blessings.

And in Dharamshala, India, exiled Tibetan monks took part in ceremonies to mark their new year.

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