February 6th marks the start of the Year of the Pig according to the Chinese zodiac calendar. The pig is associated with traits like kindness and thoughtfulness. People around the world celebrated the new year with fireworks, family gatherings, and temple visits. The document shares photos from celebrations in countries like China, Thailand, and Japan where people welcomed the arrival of the Earth Pig with traditional customs.

1. PowerPoint Show by Andrew ♫ Turn on Speakers

2. February 6th marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year
2019, the Year of the Pig. The last of the 12 animals of the
Chinese zodiac, the pig is thought of as easygoing and fortunate.
In the larger Chinese astrological cycle, this year is also
associated with the element of earth, which makes 2019 the Year
of the Earth Pig, exemplified by the traits of sociability, kindness,
and thoughtfulness.
People around the world ushered in the new year with displays of
fireworks, family get-togethers, temple visits, and street festivals.
Collected here are images from several countries where revelers
have been welcoming the arrival of the earth pig.

3. A tour guide wearing a pig hat sends new-year greetings to tourists
in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, China, on February 1, 2019.

4. People burn incense sticks as they pray for good luck at the
Grand Buddha Temple on February 4, 2019, in Chongqing, China.

5. Lion dancers with LED lights perform on the glass deck of the King Power
MahaNakhon building, currently Thailand's tallest structure, at 1,030 feet
(314 meters) tall, in Bangkok, Thailand, on February 4, 2019.

6. Fireworks explode during China Central Television's 2019 Spring Festival
Gala February 4, 2019, in Jinggangshan, Jiangxi province, China.

7. An aerial view of villagers holding red lanterns and a pattern formed by
Chinese knots reading "2019" to welcome the Chinese New Year at a scenic
spot on January 29, 2019, in Fuzhou, Jiangxi province, China.

8. A florist prepares peach-flower trees at a stall during the annual Lunar New
Year fair in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong on February 2, 2019.

9. Chinese workers make traditional red lanterns at a local factory on
January 24, 2019, in the village of Tuntou, Hebei province, China.

10. A Chinese worker makes a giant traditional red lantern outside
at a local factory on January 24, 2019, in the village of Tuntou.

11. Tour guides wearing pig hats as they send new-year greetings at
the Yangzhou Slender West Lake scenic area on February 1, 2019.

12. Performers are silhouetted as they stand during a re-creation of a Qing-
dynasty ceremony, in which emperors prayed for a good harvest and good
fortune, at a temple fair at Ditan Park in Beijing on February 5, 2019.

13. Roasted-pork-and-rice-flour buns depicting pigs are displayed in bamboo
steamers as kitchen staff work at a dim-sum restaurant in Hong Kong on
January 29, 2019, ahead of the Lunar New Year.

14. Tokyo Tower is illuminated in red to celebrate the Chinese
Lunar New Year in Tokyo, Japan, on February 4, 2019.

15. Visitors take pictures of an installation at a flower fair ahead of the Chinese
Lunar New Year in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China, on February 3.

16. A woman holds a flower-shaped candle as she offers prayers
in the Mentougou district of Beijing on February 5, 2019.

17. Visitors enjoy a dip in a hot-pot–shaped hot-spring pool at a hotel
in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on January 27, 2019.

18. The Ming Palace National Ruins Park stages a dreamlike lighting show, in
which a pig "grand marshal" welcomes the new year, on January 28, 2019.

19. Flames rise up from a pit into which visitors throw incense sticks while
praying for good fortune to mark the start of the Lunar New Year at Longhua
Temple in Shanghai late on February 4, 2019.

20. Colored lanterns featuring a phoenix are illuminated on the water during a
lantern show for the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Pig, on January 27,
2019, at a scenic area in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China.

21. A girl pets a live teacup pig ahead of the Chinese New Year on February 1,
2019, at the Lucky Chinatown plaza in Manila, Philippines.

22. A fire breather performs during celebrations for the Lunar
New Year in Manila's Chinatown district on February 5, 2019.

23. Crowds jostle to grab festive items being thrown during celebrations
in the Chinatown district of Manila, Philippines, on February 5, 2019.

24. A giant-panda cub falls to the ground next to breeders during an event to
celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year at Shenshuping Panda Base in
Wolong, Sichuan province, China, on January 31, 2019.

25. Visitors walk through a tunnel decorated with lanterns at
a light show in Xian, Shaanxi, China, on February 1, 2019.

26. Three-month-old pigs run through an obstacle course at the Green Island
Holiday Farm in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, China, on January 27, 2019.

27. Chinese worshippers hold incense as they pray for good fortune at
Yonghegong, or Lama Temple, on February 5, 2019, in Beijing.

28. A lion dance is performed in the Chinatown district
of Yokohama, Japan on February 5, 2019.

29. A woman lights incense while praying in a Chinese temple in the
Chinatown district of Bangkok, Thailand, on February 4, 2019.