China Starts Lunar New Year of the Dragon

People burn incense to pray for good fortune on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year at Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing. The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, begins on January 23 and marks the start of the Year of the Dragon, according to the

Lion dance troupes perform the traditional custom during Chinese Lunar New Year at a housing estate in Singapore, January 23, 2012. (AFP)

A performer dressed in traditional costume and wearing make-up takes part in Chinese new year celebrations at the 700-year-old Dongyue Temple in Beijing, January 23, 2012. (Reuters)

People perform during an underwater theater show celebrating Chinese New Year in the Ancol park in Jakarta, January 23, 2012. (AFP)

Performers wearing costumes of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) take part in a worship ceremony in Tiantan Park, or the Temple of Heaven, in Beijing, January 23, 2012. (AFP)

Indonesians perform a dragon dance celebrating Chinese New Year in the Ancol park in Jakarta. The Lunar new year is the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar, January 23, 2012. (AFP)

A performer wearing a horse costume (2nd R) stands next to fellow actors dressed in traditional costume and wearing make-up as they prepare to take part in Chinese new year celebrations at the 700-year-old Dongyue Temple in Beijing, January 23, 2012. (Reu

A performer known as a "strong man" twirls weights on his shoulder as he performs in front of a crowd during Chinese new year celebrations at the 700-year-old Dongyue Temple in Beijing. The temple is the largest of its kind in northern China for the Zheng