More than a billion people across the world, from China to the Philippines to diaspora communities in the United States, began celebrating the Lunar New Year on Tuesday with fireworks, family time and feasts. On Wednesday, the first new moon of the Year of the Snake will mark the imminent arrival of spring.

The leaders of North Korea and Vietnam have exchanged messages of greetings to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two leaders while declaring 2025 as a year of friendship.

A typhoon and extreme heat dramatically affected prices for the kumquat trees that are ubiquitous during the holiday.

By Charles Audouin Photos = Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism The Korean Cultural Centers (KCC) around the world will host Lunar New Year festivals to mark the Year of Blue Snake.

As the week-long holiday approaches, shoppers bustled through the market in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, picking up essentials for the celebrations. (AP video shot by Hau Dinh)

The Korean New Year (Seollal) and the Vietnamese New Year ... Vietnamese Tet festival in a field of peach blossom flowers in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2020 [File: Kham/Reuters] Wrapping of the Chung ...

Lunar New Year, or Tết Nguyên Đán (Tết), is Vietnam's most important celebration - a time to honour ancestors, cherish family, and welcome new beginnings.This year, it lasts from 28 to 31 January.

Lunar New Year traditions vary greatly among countries or territories covered by Radio Free Asia and its affiliate, BenarNews. Most of China’s 1.4 billion people as well as Chinese communities around the world observe the Lunar New Year, known as Chunjie, or Spring Festival.

SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Yonhap) -- The leaders of North Korea and Vietnam have exchanged messages of greetings to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two leaders while declaring 2025 as a year of friendship, Pyongyang's state media reported Friday.

No Vietnamese nationals have been reported so far to be involved in the stampede that occurred during the world's largest Mahakumbh Mela festival in India.

Firecrackers, parades and prayers marked the Lunar New Year as millions around Asia and farther afield celebrated

Lunar New Year festivals and prayers are marking the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and the world.