Raucous celebrations as Asia greets Year of Snake

Beijing, Feb 10 (AFP) A billion-plus Asians ushered in the Year of the Snake today with a cacophony of fireworks, after a Chinese televised gala featuring megastars including Celine Dion kicked off a week of festivities. From Australia to South Korea, millions of people travelled huge distances to reunite with their families for Lunar New Year -- the most important holiday of the year for many in Asia -- indulging in feasts and celebrations. As the clock struck midnight, Beijing's skyline lit up with colour as residents braved freezing temperatures to set off fireworks, traditionally believed to ward off evil spirits -- a scene repeated across China. But the capital's streets were eerily quiet today, with nine million out of 20 million residents returning to their ancestral homes for the festival, according to the state-run China Daily. This year also saw a sharp reduction in the sale of fireworks as heavy smog in recent weeks has fuelled fears that Beijing's notorious air pollution levels could touch dangerous highs during the festival. More than 260,000 boxes of fireworks were sold in the city in the days leading up to the New Year, a 37 per cent drop compared to last year's sales, after the smog left citizens "worried", the Beijing News reported. State broadcaster CCTV aired its annual gala variety show during the countdown to the New Year -- which rakes in hundreds of millions of viewers -- featuring a gamut of iconic stars including Celine Dion who sang in Mandarin. Dion performed the classic Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower" in a duet with local idol Song Zuying, before launching into her global hit "My Heart Will Go On" from the Hollywood blockbuster Titanic. Celebrations were also reported aboard Chinese patrol ships in waters surrounding East China Sea islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, which are at the centre of a bitter territorial row with Japan. According to reports, the dispute had led to a ban on sales of fireworks labelled "Tokyo Explosion", though a stall in southern Beijing visited by AFP was still offering them yesterday. In China the snake has traditionally been seen as a symbol of wisdom, wealth and longevity, but it is considered less auspicious than other animals in the 12-year Chinese Zodiac such as the Dragon. (AFP) RBL 02102016 NNNN