Ushering in the Year of the Snake with a prayer.<br/> <br />On Sunday, people around the world celebrated the Lunar New Year - the most important festival on the Chinese calendar.<br/> <br />Hundreds flocked to this 300-year-old temple in Beijing, braving freezing temperatures and hangovers.<br/> <br />As is tradition, they burned incense and prayed for a prosperous year.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE)(Mandarin) BEIJING RESIDENT LIU XUEMEI SAYING:<br/> <br />"I hope that my child is healthy, safe and happy. I don't want to give my child too much pressure. All I want is for her to be safe, healthy and happy."<br/> <br />In the Philippines, hundreds crowded into Manilla's Chinatown to mark the Lunar New Year - and bid farewell to the Year of the Dragon.<br/> <br />Many, like this woman, hoped the year would bring smoother relations between China and its neighbours, which are locked in a series of territorial disputes.<br/> <br />The Lunar Year celebrations will last for 15 days.
