The coronavirus pandemic is forcing many people around the world to change the way they celebrate the Lunar New Year, the most important holiday in the Chinese zodiac calendar.

The festival starts today, Friday, February 12th. Celebrations usually last 16 days, but only the first 7 days are considered a public holiday. Chinese New Year marks the transition between the signs of the zodiac: 2021 is the "Year of the Cow".

What is this "transition"?

The term "zodiac" is derived from an ancient Greek term referring to a "circle of small animals". Based on this, the Chinese "change of years" also works. The "Year of the Cow" follows that of the Mouse (the first year of the zodiac cycle) and is followed by the "Year of the Tiger" (2022).

A passenger sits on a bench at a Beijing Railway Station on February 11th. Because of the pandemic, fewer people are traveling home for the holidays.

A family takes a picture in front of an ox sculpture in a shopping mall in Beijing on February 11th.

Few people are seen at Wuhan International Airport, China, on February 11th.

People pray at Wat Mangkon, a Buddhist temple in Bangkok's Chinatown.

A man in traditional Chinese clothing uses his phone while waiting for his meal in Chinatown, Bangkok.

Passengers line up at a train station in Beijing on February 10th.

People take pictures and videos of a 3-D screen outside a mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A man in Beijing goes shopping for festive decorations.

Workers disinfect a bus station in Bijie, China, as they prepare for New Year's trips.

A baby panda gives a show in Sichuan province of China.

Source: CNN, Chinese Year