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In pictures: Lunar New Year welcomes the year of the pig

EPA A woman puts money inside the belly bottom of a performer in pig costume during a performance to celebrate the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, in ChinatownEPA
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.

AFP/Getty Children in animal hats pose in front of a pig giant pig installation ahead of the Lunar New Year in Hong KongAFP/Getty
The pig will feature heavily in this year's festivities, like this giant pig installation in Hong Kong
EPA Chinese performers dressed in traditional costumes attend a rehearsal of a re-enactment of a Qing dynasty (1636-1912) imperial sacrifice ritual to worship the Earth, on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New YearEPA
At the Temple of Heaven in Beijing , performers rehearse a re-enactment of an imperial sacrifice ritual
Reuters Crowded Chinese train stationReuters
Each year, millions in China travel home for family reunions
Getty Images Traffic jam on night highwayGetty Images
The journey can take hours or even days, in overcrowded trains or on jammed highways
Reuters A man waves to children as he dives ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year at Seaworld Marine Park in Jakarta, IndonesiaReuters
A diver at Seaworld Marine Park in Jakarta waves to children on the eve of the Spring Festival
EPA Spectators take photos of fireworks as they explode behind the Sydney Opera House as it glows red as part of celebrations for Chinese Lunar New Year of the pig, in SydneyEPA
Buildings like the Sydney Opera House were lit up with red lights to celebrate the entry of the new year
AFP/Getty Children perform a lion dance routine with an improvised lion head made from cardboard for pedestrians in the Chinatown district of ManilaAFP/Getty
Meanwhile in Manila, children perform a dragon dance with improvised props
EPA A group of dancers perform during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations at a temple in Kuta, Bali, IndonesiaEPA
In Indonesia's Bali, dancers perform a lion dance at a temple
AFP Vietnamese taking pictures in front of New Year signAFP
It's pigs galore also in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam
AFP/Getty A tourist takes photos inside an installation entitled "A golden year" by Dog and Pony of Los Angeles, erected as part Lunar New Year festivities, at a shopping arcade in Hong Kong on February 4AFP/Getty
This US installation called "a golden year" has been erected in a Hong Kong shopping arcade
EPA Worshippers burn incense in prayer at a temple to celebrate the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, in Chinatown in Bangkok, ThailandEPA
Alongside festivities, worshippers gathered at temples, like this one in Bangkok's Chinatown

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