Soldiers perform a dragon dance in front of Tay Kei Sek temple in Semarang in central Java in Indonesia.
A reveler writes "Dragon" in traditional Chinese characters and 2012 with fireworks in Beijing.
Performers dressed in traditional costumes and wearing make-up dance as they take part in Chinese New Year celebrations at the 700-year-old Dongyue Temple in Beijing.
A woman lights joss sticks to pray for prosperity and well-being on the first day of the Year of the Dragon at the Dongyue Temple in Beijing.
Thousands of people visit a lantern festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Shanghai.
Ethnic Chinese Thais give money to a Chinese dragon puppet for Lunar New Year celebrations in Bangkok's Chinatown district.
Scuba divers perform a dragon dance at the Shanghai aquarium to celebrate the Year of the Dragon in Shanghai on January 20.