Lunar New Year 2013

Lunar New Year 2013 takes place on Sunday, February 10. It is based on cycles of the lunar phase and for the Chinese it is also known as the 'Spring Festival'. Chinese New Year celebrations begin the evening preceding Chinese New Year's Day and provide an opportunity for families to get together for dinner. Food will include pork, duck, chicken and sweet delicacies and the family will end the night by setting off firecrackers. This year (2013) is the year of the snake.

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CLICK TO ENLARGE: A performer inserts a live snake through his nose and mouth during a performance at the Ditan Temple Fair. Photo: Reuters

Most people celebrate Chinese New Year by watching a fireworks display or a lion dance.

However, this performer decided to welcome the New Year by inserting a live snake through his nose before pulling it out of his mouth during a performance at the Ditan Temple Fair celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year in Beijing on February 9, 2013.

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, marks the start of the Year of the Snake, according to the Chinese zodiac.

Various snake toys were on sale at the fair in Ditan Park, which was attended by thousands of families.