Asian Festivals

Festivals, Culture & Traditions
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Asia spans a huge variety of countries, cultures and religions. Learn more about everything from the Lunar New Year celebrated across the region and India’s Diwali to the myths and legends behind lesser known festivals.

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News
Economics
A tourist interacts with a lion dance performer in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Thailand, on Monday. Photo: EPA
Economics
Thailand ‘buzzing’ with travel boom as Chinese tourists back in droves
The country’s heavy investment in wooing Chinese visitors appears to have paid off as it overcomes safety fears to secure holiday growth.
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Robots dance for the Spring Festival Gala on train travelling from Qiqihar, Heilongjiang province, to Beijing on February 13. Photo: Xinhua
China Opinion
Opinion|Humans vs robots? China begs to disagree
As China embraces humanoid robots, policymakers and companies are expanding the scope of innovation and applications in daily life.
A conservation officer reminds visitors to keep the environment clean at Ham Tin Wan in Sai Kung. Photo: Edmond So
Health & Environment
Calls for better supervision of Hong Kong’s campsites after areas inundated
While authorities have stepped up patrols in recent days, improvements in public education and limits on crowds needed, campers and hikers say.
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Jacky Leung (left) tracks Wang Xiyang during the first leg of this year’s Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Football
Hong Kong defender Leung put family first, now he’s ready to chase starting spot
Jacky Leung is the only player in Saturday’s 23-man squad based on the mainland and is back in the fold after a two-year absence.
Customers choose colored glaze snake handicrafts for the coming Chinese New Year, the Year of Snake, in Xiye Colored Glaze Studio in Boshan district, Zibo city, Shandong province, China, on Jan. 9, 2025. With a long history of colored glaze, Boshan is regarded as China’s Hometown of Colored Glaze and has 12 colored glaze enterprises and 65 art studios. (Xinhua) 新华社照片，淄博（山东），2025年1月9日 1月9日，消费者在淄博市博山区西冶工坊展销厅内挑选蛇年主题琉璃工艺品。 春节临近，山东省淄博市博山区的琉璃生产企业推出众多蛇年主题创意琉璃制品，受到市场青睐。博山区被誉为“中国琉璃之乡“，琉璃生产历史悠久，当地已发展琉璃生产企业12家、工作室65个。 新华社记者 朱峥 摄
Chinese culture
Feng shui tips for all 12 Chinese zodiac signs for the Year of the Horse 2026
Feng shui master Andrew Kwan shares where each Chinese zodiac sign can place items for good luck in the Year of the Fire Horse.
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Hong Kong travellers leaving the city via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Hong Kong Economy
Hongkongers make 1.4 million outbound trips over Lunar New Year break
Local tourism sector reports modest gains this year despite nearly 13 per cent drop in mainland Chinese arrivals from pre-pandemic levels.
(From left) HKEX chairman Carlson Tong, Financial Secretary Paul Chan and HKEX CEO Bonnie Chan attend the Lunar New Year market opening ceremony at the stock exchange on Friday. Photo: Karma Lo
Commodities
Hong Kong stocks and gold start the Year of the Horse on a mixed note
The Hang Seng Index fell 1.1 per cent on the first day of trading of the new year, while local gold prices rose 0.6 per cent.
Banks in Hong Kong are offering generous return-to-work lai see packets and gifts to their employees. Photo: Jelly Tse
Banking & Finance
HK$10,000 bonus, extra day off: Hong Kong banks reward staff returning to work
Bank of China (Hong Kong) is giving away hampers, ZA Bank is paying a HK$10,000 bonus, while HSBC and Hang Seng are offering HK$500.
Phoebe McChesney, left, with her twin sister and parents in the US, after their adoption from Hunan, China. Photo: Handout
China
Born in China, raised in US: adoptees explore their identity at Lunar New Year
Growing up Chinese-American has not been easy for LuLu Grant and Phoebe McChesney, both wanting to fit in, while never too far from the past.
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An advertisement for ByteDance’s Volcano Engine platform and Doubao chatbot is seen at Beijing Capital International airport, February 5, 2026. Photo: AFP
Big Tech
China’s tech giants report huge gains from Spring Festival marketing blitz
ByteDance’s viral video generation model Seedance 2.0 was closely integrated with the Spring Festival gala’s programming on Monday night.
Greenpeace says it counted 585 tents at the Ham Tin Wan and Sai Wan campsites. Photo: Greenpeace
Health & Environment
Green group calls for action after Hong Kong campsites packed
More tents at Ham Tin Wan and Sai Wan campsites in Sai Kung but situation ‘under control’, authorities say.
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Crowds of travellers at the Shenzhen Bay Bridge border crossing on Thursday. Photo: Dickson Lee
Hong Kong Economy
Hong Kong hotels, tourist-area eateries report brisk trade over Lunar New Year
Locals left city in droves from February 13 to 18, with residents making 2.5 million journeys out, compared with 1 million tourist arrivals.
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Tourists visit a lantern fair in Selangor, Malaysia, on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua
Southeast Asia
Chinese tourists escaping cold flock to Malaysia for Lunar New Year fun
‘Malaysians still follow many of the traditions that we have stopped observing,’ a visitor in Penang says.
Crowds flocked to the Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin. Photo: Edmond So
Hong Kong Economy
Crowds continue to flood Hong Kong attractions despite outbound travel surge
Popular spots across city continue to draw large festive crowds, even as data shows nearly 16 per cent rise in net outflow during holiday period.
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China
12 killed by Lunar New Year fireworks blast in China
The water chestnut, a versatile ingredient known as “horse’s hoof”, is celebrated for its crisp texture and auspicious meaning in Lunar New Year dishes. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Food & Drink
Why do Chinese love water chestnuts? All about the lucky ‘horse’s hoof’
A humble and vastly underrated ingredient, water chestnuts are used in a popular Lunar New Year dessert and also have many health benefits.
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People enjoy their reunion dinner at a restaurant in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district on February 12, ahead of the Lunar New Year. Photo: Sam Tsang
China Opinion
Opinion|Lunar New Year doesn’t need a home-cooked feast to be full of flavour
The most important thing isn’t if you cooked the food yourself or followed tradition to the letter – it’s being with people you care about.
China’s Spring Festival travel rush dates back to ancient times when journeys took nearly a month and were primarily undertaken by officials and merchants. Photo: SCMP composite/Sohu
Trending in China
Spring Festival travel rush dates back to ancient China but only for rich, powerful
Epic New Year journeys by land and sea 2,000 years ago used to take a month to complete; then nation began developing transport systems.
How can those born in the Year of the Dragon use feng shui to improve their luck in romance, wealth and health this coming year? Feng shui practitioner Andrew Kwan shares advice. Photo: Shutterstock
Chinese Zodiac
Feng shui advice for Dragons for a lucky, healthy Year of the Horse 2026
Feng shui master Andrew Kwan shares where Dragons can put auspicious items at home and work for fortune in the Year of the Fire Horse.
Tourists from Russia take selfies on the Bund in Shanghai. China is keen to drive up spending by inbound travellers over the Lunar New Year. Photo: Xinhua
China Economy
China targets foreign tourists for Lunar New Year ‘consumption feast’
Beijing sees huge untapped potential in spending by inbound travellers as it strives to drive up demand over the crucial nine-day holiday.
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The incident was the second deadly fireworks incident over the current holiday period. Photo: Handout
Politics
12 killed in China’s second deadly Lunar New Year fireworks explosion
The blast in Hubei came days after a similar incident in Jiangsu that prompted calls from the government to prevent a repetition.
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Spectators get a prime view of the fireworks from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Hong Kong Economy
Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year fireworks dazzle as visitor numbers gallop ahead
City leader John Lee vows to carry out reforms at full speed, says to public ‘let’s march forward bravely and confidently together’ in new year.
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Robots perform during China Central Television’s Spring Festival Gala 2026 on Monday. Photo: Handout
Tech Trends
China’s humanoid robot orders surge after Spring Festival spotlight
Interest also spiked in Noetix’s Bumi, a companion robot that appeared in a family-themed comedy sketch at the gala.
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Kinsman’s Neen Go-Lada, exclusive to Lunar New Year 2026. Photo: Handout
100 Top Tables
Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for February 21-23
We’ve got you covered for drinks as we welcome the Year of the Horse, from Chinese New Year cocktails to a special night at Qura with Singapore’s Side Door.
A clip circulating online showed water gushing out from pipes and pouring to the ground at Hei Wah House. Photo: Handout
Society
Hong Kong households hit by water disruption during Lunar New Year
Further repairs needed at estate in Sau Mau Ping, while supply at two other estates restored.
Tourists crowd the harbourfront in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Sam Tsang
Society
Hong Kong marks start of Lunar New Year with surge of visitors
Visitor numbers hit 153,383 on first day of holiday, up by 10 per cent year on year, with more than 120,000 coming from mainland China.
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Kenneth Lau has drawn a “neutral” stick for Hong Kong at Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin on the second day of the Year of the Horse. Photo: Jelly Tse
Society
‘Stay vigilant even in peace,’ rural leader says in Lunar New Year prophecy
Kenneth Lau also calls on city to embrace innovation after drawing ‘neutral’ No 22 fortune stick at Che Kung Temple.
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Opinion
Editorial|Record post-Covid horse race attendance kicks off an auspicious year
The ‘fantastic’ atmosphere at the ‘Year of the Horse’ race meeting captured the spirit of an agile city undergoing a sound recovery.
SCMP Editorial
On the Menu|What do an American reality TV show and Chinese aunties have in common?
A Chinese millennial woman talks fat and fortune as she contrasts the toxic culture of the early noughties with today’s body positivity.
Charmaine Mok
Editorial|Hong Kong should temper optimism with caution in Year of the Horse
Another neutral prophecy puts the onus on the city to proceed with prudence and act to bring about its own good fortune.
SCMP Editorial
Being Chinese|The great Lunar New Year divide and how I bridged it
After sitting through the Spring Festival Gala with mainland Chinese friends, I had to introduce them to a delightful ritual from Singapore.
Chang Zi Qian
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Editorial|Hong Kong will approach Year of the Horse with optimism and resilience
As the city marks the Lunar New Year, it can rest assured that the economy seems to be in good shape and the focus is on opportunities ahead.
SCMP Editorial
Reflections|How Chinese new year cards went from elites’ greetings to bribery instruments
Wishing someone a happy new year was a highly formal affair among people of status in imperial China and some cards were even collected.
Wee Kek Koon
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Being Chinese|My food obsession has deep Chinese roots
The rationing era imprinted something on me – not just a craving for food, but a reverence. In Chinese culture, food is never just food.
Lijia Zhang
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Language Matters|What to know about intangible cultural heritage amid Hong Kong celebrations
With Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Month in full flow, a look at ICH’s five main domains and the importance of linguistic heritage.
Lisa Lim
Being Chinese|People laugh in my face when I say I’m Chinese. So what?
I don’t look Chinese. But it’s the tiny things, values and cultural touchpoints that collectively make a Chinese person Chinese.
Shea Driscoll
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Reflections|Qu Yuan, Chinese poet whose death is marked in Dragon Boat Festival
Whether or not customs of Duanwu or Tuen Ng Festival can truly be ascribed to Qu Yuan’s drowning in 278BC, his life is worthy of celebration.
Wee Kek Koon
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Editorial|Fortune stick offers Hong Kong financial advice it should not ignore
Hong Kong, which is still struggling economically, receives a Year of the Snake message to not be greedy and to live within its means.
SCMP Editorial
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My Take|There is something special about a Lunar New Year in Hong Kong
For ex-residents, this is the time to miss the city and remember past celebrations. The beginning of the Year of the Snake will be no exception.
SCMP ColumnistCliff Buddle
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