Lunar New Year prayers, robots and festivities usher in the Year of the Horse

Worshippers pray at the Longshan temple early morning on the first day of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

BEIJING — Traditional prayers, fireworks and fairs marked the Lunar New Year on Tuesday — alongside 21st-century humanoid robots.

The activities ushered in the Year of the Horse, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, succeeding the Year of the Snake.

Thousands of people in Beijing jammed into the former Temple of Earth to buy snacks, toys and trinkets from stalls. Sun Jing, who brought her parents to the capital for the holiday, said the atmosphere was as lively as in her childhood.

“I haven’t felt such a strong sense of Lunar New Year festivity in a very, very long time,” she said.

Crowds descended on popular temples to burn incense and pray for happiness and success in the coming year. The Lunar New Year is the most important annual holiday in China and some other East Asian nations and is celebrated outside the region, too.

Robots take the stage of an annual TV show in China

As every year, China celebrated the Lunar New Year with a TV show and once again the humanoid robots were a central part of the performance Monday night.

One of the highlights of the CCTV Spring Festival gala was a martial arts performance by children and robots. For several minutes, humanoids from Unitree Robotics showed different sequences and even brandished swords.

The performance showed China’s push to develop more advanced robots powered by improved AI capabilities.

Viewers applauded the robots, with one saying they give good guidance and direction for young people. One man, though, said that while China’s advances in robotics are great, they detracted from his experience.

“It lacks a bit of the New Year atmosphere,” Li Bo said. “It’s not as enjoyable as when I was little watching the gala.”

Temple crowds at midnight in Hong Kong

Incense smoke wafted into the air at a temple in Hong Kong where people line up every year to make wishes for the new year at midnight.

Holding up a cluster of incense sticks, many bowed their heads several times before planting the sticks in containers placed in front of a temple hall.

Fireworks light up skies in Vietnam

Entertainers in Vietnam sang at an outdoor countdown event before multiple fireworks shows at several cities in the Southeast Asian nation, where the festival is called Tet.

Light shows lit up bridges and skyscrapers as the fireworks went off and crowds clapped in rhythm to live pop music performances.

Chinese street fairs in Moscow

People sampled Chinese cuisine from stalls and strolled along snowy streets decorated with red lanterns and dragons as two weeks of events got underway Monday at various venues in the Russian capital.

The third annual Lunar New Year celebration comes at time of warming relations between China and Russia — ties that have frustrated many European governments because of the war in Ukraine.

A temple bell rings 108 times in Taiwan

The solemn peal of a temple bell rang out 108 times — an auspicious number — as people flocked to the Baoan Temple in Taipei on Tuesday morning.

They lit incense sticks, bowed their heads and left offerings of colorful flower bouquets on outdoor tables on the temple grounds in Taiwan’s capital city.

Argentines join celebrations in Buenos Aires

Thousands of Argentines gathered in Buenos Aires’ Chinatown to celebrate the Lunar New Year and enjoyed dragon and lion dances on the main stage, alongside martial arts demonstrations.

The Chinese immigrant community is among Argentina’s most dynamic, accounting for more than 180,000 people in the South American country.

Dancers dress as animals of the Chinese New Year in NYC

In New York City, thousands gathered in Chinatown to celebrate.

The 28th annual Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival was held in Sara D. Roosevelt Park, where dancers dressed as the animals of the Chinese New Year performed.

The event culminated with a massive amount of fireworks being set off to scare away bad spirits.

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Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.

Ken Moritsugu, The Associated Press