Image copyright EPA Image caption 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.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption The pig will feature heavily in this year's festivities, like this giant pig installation in Hong Kong

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

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Each year, millions in China travel home for family reunions

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The journey can take hours or even days, in overcrowded trains or on jammed highways

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

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

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Meanwhile in Manila, children perform a dragon dance with improvised props

Image copyright EPA Image caption In Indonesia's Bali, dancers perform a lion dance at a temple

Image copyright AFP Image caption It's pigs galore also in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption This US installation called "a golden year" has been erected in a Hong Kong shopping arcade

Image copyright EPA Image caption Alongside festivities, worshippers gathered at temples, like this one in Bangkok's Chinatown

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