Gallery: Singapore counts down to Lunar New Year

Snaps of Chinatown and beyond as the city celebrates one of the biggest events of the year

By Lester V. Ledesma 23 January, 2012

Lunar New Year

Bustling even on ordinary days, Singapore's Chinatown is 10 times busier during the Lunar New Year season. The lights and the decor start to appear in the weeks leading up to the big day, with the climax of the festivities taking place on New Year's Eve.

Lunar New Year

Chinatown becomes a huge, open-air market during the LNY season, its streets crawling with pedestrians all day. The crowd gets even thicker in the evenings, when locals and tourists all show up to bask in the carnival-like atmosphere.

Lunar New Year

There's no mistaking the predominant animal. Dragon-themed decorations dominate souvenir stalls everywhere, as well as the equally ubiquitous red paper lanterns.

Lunar New Year

Shoppers check out one of the countless stalls at the Chinatown night market. Far from being mere souvenirs, many items sold during the LNY season are rife with symbolism; for instance, the pink plum blossoms at the center signify courage and hope for the incoming year.

Lunar New Year

LNY celebrations aren't complete without food -- lots of it. Here, a streetside vendor makes a killing with only one product, Chinese sausages.

Lunar New Year

Piles of goodies await buyers by the roadside. As the new year draws to a close, expect a huge slash in prices as sellers rush to sell off their stocks by midnight.

Lunar New Year

The Chinatown crowd is at its thickest just before midnight, when everyone is outside to usher in the new year. Cheers and applause erupt as the clock strikes 12; firecrackers -- banned in previous years -- are heard once more, albeit lit under very close supervision by the local authorities.

Lunar New Year

In contrast to the previous nights' festivities, LNY morning is a rather quiet affair, with most people preferring to stay home with friends and family. At the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple, in Bugis district, devotees line up with incense sticks in hand to pray for an auspicious start to the new year.

Lunar New Year

Incense smoke mixes with prayers inside the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple, a popular prayer spot for Singaporean Chinese during the first 15 days of the new year.

Lunar New Year

People pose for photographs in front of a large pink dragon made of flowers at the Sentosa Flowers festival on Sentosa Island. To usher in the Lunar New Year, the show has several large dragon displays, along with other themed sections, such as DinoLand and Flower Fairies.

Lunar New Year

A large illuminated dragon lights up Chinatown on January 22 in Singapore. The year of the dragon is said to bring abundance and good fortune.

Lunar New Year

People view a lantern display during the public opening of the 2012 River Hongbao Festival, on January 21 in Marina Bay. The festival to celebrate the Lunar New Year showcases more than 60 large lanterns, designed and handcrafted by Chengdu lantern masters.

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Singapore's predominantly Chinese population goes all-out to greet the year of the dragon -- and there's no better place than Chinatown to witness this week's festivities.

Check out the above gallery for a look at some of the locals preparing and getting into the fun, which kicks off January 23. Celebrations and special displays are going on all over the city until the end of the month.

For more on the events taking place in honor of Lunar New Year, visit YourSingapore.com.

Photojournalist Lester V. Ledesma is based in Singapore and a two-time winner of the PATA Gold Award for Photography.

Gallery: Singapore counts down to Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

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