Subdued Lunar New Year celebrations in Australia

Lunar New Year celebrations taking place in Australia on Tuesday were subdued amid concerns over the corona virus and the omicron variant. Lion dancers performed in front of a small crowd and paraded through a market in Melbourne.

In Australia as elsewhere in Asia, people prepared for the celebrations as increasing vaccination rates raised hopes that the Year of the Tiger might bring life back closer to normal. Each year is named after one of twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac in a repeating cycle.

The Year of the Tiger follows the Year of the Ox. It is the third new year celebrated in the shadow of the pandemic.