BEIJING (AP) — People across China celebrated the Lunar New Year Sunday with a giant circle of family gatherings and crowds visiting temples after the government lifted its strict “zero-COVID” policy, marking the largest holiday birthday party since the pandemic began 3 years ago. behind.
The Lunar New Year is the ultimate annual holiday in China. Each year is named after one of the 12 symptoms of the Chinese zodiac in a repetitive cycle, this year being the Year of the Rabbit. For the past 3 years, celebrations have been silenced in the shadow of the pandemic.
With the easing of maximum COVID-19 restrictions that had confined millions of people to their homes, it is possible that despite everything, other people will return for the first time to their hometown to reunite with their families without worrying about the hassle of quarantine, possible closures. and suspensions. Larger public celebrations for China’s so-called Spring Festival have also returned, and the capital hosts thousands of cultural events, on a larger scale than a year ago.
“She has never experienced what a classic New Year looks like because she was too young 3 years ago and didn’t remember it,” said Si Jia, who brought her 7-year-old son to the Qianmen district near Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. to feel the festive atmosphere and learn more about classical Chinese culture.
Nearly 53,000 other people held prayers at Lama Temple in Beijing, but the crowd appeared smaller compared to the days before the pandemic. for prior reservation.
Crowds of citizens and tourists flooded Qianmen’s pedestrian streets, enjoying fried fish snacks and New Year’s rice cake stalls, and some young people wore classic Chinese rabbit hats. Others held puffed sugar or marshmallows in the form of rabbits.
In Taoranting Park, there is no sign of the same bustling old New Year’s food stalls despite their alleys decorated with classic Chinese lanterns. A popular temple fair in Badachu Park that was suspended for 3 years will return this week, but similar occasions in Ditan Park and Longtan Lake Park have yet to return.
The large movement of other people can cause the virus to spread in some areas, said Wu Zunyou, a lead epidemiologist at China’s Center for Disease Control. 80 percent of the country’s 1. 4 billion people were affected by the recent wave, he wrote Saturday on the social media platform Weibo.
The outlet reported 12,660 COVID-19-related deaths between Jan. 13 and Jan. 19, adding 680 cases of respiratory failure caused by the virus and 11,980 deaths from other COVID-19-related conditions. This is in addition to the 60,000 deaths reported last week since early December. On Saturday he said the deaths occurred in hospitals, meaning anyone who died in the house would not be included in the count.
China has counted deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official number of COVID-19 deaths, a limited definition that excludes many deaths believed to be attributed to COVID-19 in much of the world.
In Kong, revelers flocked to the city’s largest Taoist temple, Wong Tai Sin, to burn the first incense sticks of the year. The ritual was suspended for more than two years due to the pandemic.
Traditionally, giant crowds gather before 11 p. m. m. on Lunar New Year’s Eve, with everyone seeking to be the first, or among the first, to place their incense sticks on the outdoor stands of the temple’s main hall. The faithful who are among the first to place their incense sticks will have the most productive chance of having their prayers answered.
Resident Freddie Ho, who visited the temple Saturday night, was pleased to be able to register in person for the occasion.
“I hope to place the first stick of incense and pray that the New Year will bring peace to the world, Hong Kong’s economy will prosper, the pandemic will keep us away, and we can all live a life in general,” Ho said. I think that’s what everyone wants. “
Meanwhile, the crowds praying for good fortune at the historic Longshan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, were smaller than a year ago, even as the pandemic subsided. Expected trips.
While communities in Asia celebrated the Year of the Rabbit, Vietnamese celebrated the Year of the Cat. There is no official answer to explain the difference. But one theory suggests that cats are popular because they help Vietnamese rice farmers hunt rats.
Associated Press Henry Hou, Olivia Zhang in Beijing, Alice Fung in Hong Kong and Taijing Wu in Taipei, Taiwan contributed to this report.