Asian communities across the world are preparing to ring in the Lunar New Year, with 2025 designated as the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac. Fireworks, parades and other Lunar New Year rituals are centred around removing bad luck and welcoming prosperity.
Millions of people in Indonesia have Chinese ancestry and crowds gathered in the bustling city of Bogor, south of the capital, Jakarta, to watch as drummers interspersed around displays of traditional dragon and lion puppets.
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Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after the Indonesian national colours, take a break during training in Bogor, West Java (Dita Alangkara/AP)
Drummers practise for their performance (Dita Alangkara/AP)
Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih train ahead of the celebrations (Dita Alangkara/AP)
A woman and her daughter have their photo taken with members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih in the lion costume (Dita Alangkara/AP)
Some of the puppets stretch up to 65ft (20m) long with interconnected segments held by about a dozen people walking underneath.
Rounds of applause greet the dancers, while some in the audience place “angpau” – an envelope containing money usually given during holidays or for special occasions – into the puppet’s mouth.
Members of dance club Naga Merah Putih prepare a dragon puppet (Dita Alangkara/AP)
Dance club members Muhammad Hisyam, left, and Aji Permana, practise in Bogor (Dita Alangkara/AP)
Dance club Naga Merah Putih put on a performance in a shopping centre (Dita Alangkara/AP)
Performance troupes – which can number anywhere from 50 to 100 people – practise for weeks ahead of the celebrations (Dita Alangkara/AP)
