BEIJING (AP) — Traditional prayers, fireworks and fairs marked the Lunar New Year on Tuesday — alongside 21st-century humanoid robots.
The activities ushered in the Year of the Horse, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, succeeding the Year of the Snake.
Thousands of people in Beijing jammed into the former Temple of Earth to buy snacks, toys and trinkets from stalls. Sun Jing, who brought her parents to the capital for the holiday, said the atmosphere was as lively as in her childhood.
“I haven’t felt such a strong sense of Lunar New Year festivity in a very, very long time,” she said.
Crowds descended on popular temples to burn incense and pray for happiness and success in the coming year. The Lunar New Year is the most important annual holiday in China and some other East Asian nations and is celebrated outside the region, too.
