Happy New Year! The 2012 Lunar New Year on January 23 marks the beginning of the year of the Dragon in Chinese tradition. Here, a dragon-shaped lantern is lit up on a lake during a temple fair in Kunming, Yunnan Province, in China.

Chinese railways are expected to carry 235 million passengers during the 40-day season of the Spring Festival holiday, as people travel home for new year family reunions. Here, passengers line up to buy train tickets at a station in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, in China, on January 7, 2012.

One of the Lunar New Year’s biggest traditions, the lantern festival dates back over 800 years. Here, lanterns and lights are on display at the Zigong International Lantern Festival in Zigong, Sichuan Province, in China.

Dragons are a symbol of success and happiness in Chinese tradition. Symbols of the mythical creature will be everywhere during celebrations. Here, a dragon made out of lingzhi mushroom heads stretches more than six feet at a plant nursery in Singapore.

Migrant workers—people who travel far from home for work—sit down for an annual meal at a local construction site in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in China on January 9, 2012. More than 1,400 workers took part in the annual event, which celebrates the upcoming Lunar New Year.

A young girl and her brother sample sweets at a market in Taipei, Taiwan, where vendors are selling candies and fruits for the upcoming Lunar New Year.