People marked the arrival of a new lunar year across China, Hong Kong and Taiwan on Thursday. Per tr

Описание: (30 Jan 2014) People marked the arrival of a new lunar year across, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan on Thursday evening.
Incense filled the air at one of Hong Kong's best-known temples. Crowds gathered at Wong Tai Sin Temple before 11 pm (1500 GMT) hoping to make their new year wishes at the most auspicious moment.
According to traditional Chinese time-keeping, 11 pm on the eve of the lunar new year is an ideal moment visit a temple to pray and put incense sticks in place.
The hope is to bring as much good fortune for the coming year as possible.
Visitors at Wong Tai Sin Thursday night shared similar hopes for the new year of the horse - smooth progress for Hong Kong's economy, and good health for their families.
The rush to put incense sticks in place and pray is now much more controlled than in the past.
Years ago there used to be chaotic scenes of pushing and shoving as people fought to be first.
In recent years Wong Tai Sin Temple has refined its approach to crowd management, resulting in a more sedate ritual on the lunar new year's eve.
In Taipei, worshippers crowded inside Longshan Temple to pray for good prosperity in the upcoming new year
At the stroke of midnight, a Buddhist monk led hundreds in a prayer to welcome the beginning of the Lunar New Year.
In Beijing,the chiming of a 63-ton bronze bell welcomed the Year of the Horse.
Air pollution concerns in the capital and a widespread anti-extravagance campaign launched by authorities have led to a significant reduction in the traditional noisy displays.
From Beijing's Bell Tower, an iconic building from 1272 that once laid at the heart of Kublai Khan's capital, fire crackers and fireworks could still be heard and seen.

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