INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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In Bangkok, performers dressed up as pigs to celebrate the Lunar New Year
More than a billion people around the world have begun celebrating the Lunar New Year and the start of the Year of the Pig.In China that
means millions of people have travelled to their hometowns, in the largest annual human migration
Also known as the Spring Festival, the Lunar New Year is celebrated by countries across Asia.Fireworks, special clothes, red lanterns and
lots of food will mark the occasion.The pig, one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, is believed to be a symbol of optimism, enthusiasm
and hard work.Image copyrightAFP/GettyImage caption
The pig will feature heavily in this year's festivities, like this
giant pig installation in Hong Kong
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At the Temple of Heaven in Beijing ,
performers rehearse a re-enactment of an imperial sacrifice ritual
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Each year, millions in China travel home for family reunions
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The journey can take hours or even days, in overcrowded trains or on jammed highways
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A diver at Seaworld Marine Park in Jakarta waves to children on the eve of the Spring Festival
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Buildings like the Sydney Opera House were lit up with red lights to celebrate the entry of
the new year
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Meanwhile in Manila, children perform a dragon dance
with improvised props
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In Indonesia's Bali, dancers perform a lion dance
at a temple
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It's pigs galore also in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam
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This US installation called "a golden year" has been erected in a Hong
Kong shopping arcade
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Alongside festivities, worshippers gathered at
temples, like this one in Bangkok's Chinatown
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