Does Thailand celebrate the Lunar New Year? Find out how the SEA country catches the festivity of Chinese New Year with vibrant festivals.

Lunar New Year festivals and prayers are marking the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield.

Chinese travelers are canceling plans to visit Thailand during the Lunar New Year holiday, as concerns over the kidnapping of actor Wang Xing continue to reverberate through the country.

Several countries mark their new year based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar involving movement of the Sun and Moon.

From incense offerings and vibrant lion dances in Beijing to prayer rituals at temples in Bangkok and Taipei, hundreds of millions of people across Asia celebrated the Lunar New Year, ushering in the Year of the Snake.

The festival is celebrated by several ethnic communities across the world, where it is known as Chunjie (Chinese), Seollal (Korean) and Tet (Vietnamese), among other names. In English, it is commonly referred to as Lunar New Year, after the lunisolar calendar that many of these communities traditionally follow.

Lunar New Year tourists are flocking to Thailand. The holidaymakers, many from China, are expected to boost tourism, which has been struggling to recover from the pandemic.

For many, the Lunar New Year is a time to reflect on people they have lost. But it's also a time to set intentions and welcome the new energy of the future.

Thailand's consumer spending over the Lunar New Year period could rise 4.5% to a five-year high of 52 billion baht ($1.54 billion), helped by government stimulus measures and higher income, a survey showed on Friday.

Chinese tourists visiting Thailand for Lunar New Year are worried about being kidnapped by gangsters to work in hellish scam centres, despite efforts to reassure them.

The government expects 770,000 Chinese nationals to visit Thailand during Chinese New Year, from Jan 24 to Feb 2, an increase of 22.6% compared to the Lunar New Year period last year.

Lunar New Year is based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. It begins with the first new moon and ends with the Lantern Festival on the next full moon, 15 days later. The Chinese zodiac operates on a 12-year cycle of animals. 2025 marks the Year of the Snake.