Chinese New Year: The year of the tiger is here

This year's Year of the Tiger is the first since 2010. In China, the tiger is commonly associated with bravery and courage — and seen as a symbol that can give people hope, especially in these turbulent times.

The Chinese New Year lasts a good 16 days — and it needs to be well prepared: Houses and streets are cleaned and decorated with red lanterns. The color red means happiness, joy and prosperity. The occassion is celebrated in Vietnam, too, where the festival is known as "Tet." People flock to the markets to get the necessary decorations, food and gifts.

Many Chinese people kicked off the festivities with a family dinner and watching the traditional New Year’s gala on television. Even praying together, like this family in Bali, Indonesia, is a common New Year's ritual.

One of the traditional dishes served on the eve of the New Year is fish. The word for "fish" sounds similar to the word for "abundance". Therefore, not everything from the plate is eaten up, so as not to use up the fortune completely, figuratively speaking. Like here in Jakarta, short-term fish stalls open in many places in the run-up to the New Year.

Flowers are also part of the traditional New Year's decorations. In Hong Kong, however, many residents will likely celebrate with subdued expectations: Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic will not allow for exuberant celebrations, and major events such as the traditional fireworks displays have been canceled in many places this year as well.

As more and more Chinese people live further away from their families, a huge wave of travel sets in motion each year around New Year. Many save their entire holidays to spend as much time as possible in their hometown for the occasion. For this young couple in Beijing, it means saying goodbye to each other for at least two weeks.

Pictures like this one at a train station in Shanghai in 2019 will most likely not be seen during this year's festivities due to COVID-19 regulations. Nevertheless, the government expects up to 1.2 billion travelers during the holiday season, an estimated 36% more than last year.

According to Chen Lianshan of Peking University, "The tiger is a protection against evil spirits and it can defeat demons and ghosts of all kinds." Many people celebrating New Year will, too, hope to finally be free of the pandemic's grip in 2022, aided by a vaccination rate of 85% and perhaps even the spirit of the tiger.