In pictures: Lunar New Year welcomes the year of the pig

In Bangkok, performers dressed up as pigs to celebrate the Lunar New Year

More than a billion people around the world have begun celebrating the Lunar New Year and the start of the Year of the Pig.

In China that means millions of people have travelled to their hometowns, in the largest annual human migration.

Also known as the Spring Festival, the Lunar New Year is celebrated by countries across Asia.

Fireworks, special clothes, red lanterns and lots of food will mark the occasion.

The pig, one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, is believed to be a symbol of optimism, enthusiasm and hard work.

The pig will feature heavily in this year's festivities, like this giant pig installation in Hong Kong

At the Temple of Heaven in Beijing , performers rehearse a re-enactment of an imperial sacrifice ritual

Each year, millions in China travel home for family reunions

The journey can take hours or even days, in overcrowded trains or on jammed highways

A diver at Seaworld Marine Park in Jakarta waves to children on the eve of the Spring Festival

Buildings like the Sydney Opera House were lit up with red lights to celebrate the entry of the new year

Meanwhile in Manila, children perform a dragon dance with improvised props

In Indonesia's Bali, dancers perform a lion dance at a temple

It's pigs galore also in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam

This US installation called "a golden year" has been erected in a Hong Kong shopping arcade

Alongside festivities, worshippers gathered at temples, like this one in Bangkok's Chinatown

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