Spring festival begins in Beijing

Chinese soldiers dressed as Qing Dynasty guards perform in a Qing Dynasty ceremony, in which emperors prayed for a good harvest and fortune, during the Spring Festival Temple Fair celebrating China's lunar new year at an ancient park in Beijing on February 9, 2013. China's most important holiday, the Spring Festival begins on February 10 and marks the start of the Year of the Snake, according to the Chinese zodiac. UPI/Stephen Shaver