Lantern displays light up cities in China for Spring Festival

Cities across China are dazzling with vibrant lantern displays, drawing crowds of visitors to celebrate the festive atmosphere ahead of the Spring Festival, the country's most important annual celebration.

The Spring Festival, which marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, is the biggest annual holiday in China, when people across the country return to their hometowns for Lunar New Year celebrations and family reunions. This year, it falls on Jan 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake.

As night falls in Tongcheng City of east China's Anhui Province, the Liuchi Alley, a historical cultural site, is aglow with a spectacular array of colorful lanterns.

Visitors entering the lantern fair are greeted by a mesmerizing sea of lights, where hundreds of intricately designed lanterns create an enchanting atmosphere.

The vibrant displays, in a wide range of shapes and hues, transport onlookers into a fairytale world.

At the heart of the exhibition stands a 10-meter-long lantern display titled "Golden dragon brings blessings".

Bathed in golden light, the dragon shimmers with radiant scales, its head held high, enticing tourists to pose for photos.

In Anshan City of the northeastern Liaoning Province, the Ice and Snow Lantern Carnival at the Anshan Zoo has received a grand upgrade in time for the Spring Festival.

Upon entering the park, visitors are greeted by a pageant of dazzling lanterns, including a stunning recreation of the mythical Monkey King's Mount Huaguo from Journey to the West, a Chinese classical novel depicting the epic adventure of Xuan Zang, a famed Tang Dynasty (618-907) Buddhist monk.

The "Monkey King" lantern and other imaginative displays have captivated many visitors, eager to capture the moment.

Beyond the lanterns, the carnival also offers a variety of ice and snow activities.

The Fourth Ice and Snow Lantern Carnival's night sessions will run until Feb 13, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the sparkling lights and festive spirit.

Lantern displays light up cities in China for Spring Festival

Hungarians voted in parliamentary elections on Sunday, with about 8.1 million people eligible to cast ballots, according to the National Election Office.

Polls opened at 06:00 local time and closed at 19:00, with initial results expected late on Sunday evening.

Of the total, about 7.6 million voters were eligible to cast ballots in person at more than 10,000 polling stations nationwide, while some 500,000 were eligible to vote by mail.

Five parties or alliances are competing in the election. The latest opinion polls showed strong support for both Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz-Christian Democratic People's Party alliance and the opposition Tisza party led by Peter Magyar.

Among smaller parties, the far-right Our Homeland Movement is seen as having a chance to enter parliament, while others, including the Democratic Coalition and the Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party, are widely viewed as unlikely to cross the threshold.

This election marks Orban's fourth parliamentary race since returning to power in 2010, with the outcome set to determine whether he can secure a fifth consecutive term.

Under Hungary's electoral law, parliamentary elections are held every four years. The Hungarian parliament has 199 seats, including 106 filled through direct elections in single-member constituencies and 93 allocated to parties that enter parliament. The party or alliance that secures a majority of seats has the right to form a government.

Hungarians vote in parliamentary elections