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Feb. 14, 2010 / 1:26 PM

Injuries mar Chinese New Year festivities

A military policeman stands guard as Chinese musicians and dancers perform a lion dance under red lantern decorations during the opening ceremony of the Spring Festival Temple Fair at the Temple of Earth in Beijing February 14, 2010. Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, is China's biggest holiday, giving migrant workers their only chance of returning to their home provinces with gifts and money for the family. It represents the world's biggest annual mass migration of humans. UPI/Stephen Shaver

1 of 3 | A military policeman stands guard as Chinese musicians and dancers perform a lion dance under red lantern decorations during the opening ceremony of the Spring Festival Temple Fair at the Temple of Earth in Beijing February 14, 2010. Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, is China's biggest holiday, giving migrant workers their only chance of returning to their home provinces with gifts and money for the family. It represents the world's biggest annual mass migration of humans. UPI/Stephen Shaver | License Photo

BEIJING, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- A Chinese official said Sunday that 52 people were hurt in festivities in honor of the start of the Chinese New Year.

Zhou Zhengyu, director of the Municipal Government's Fireworks Management Office, said the number of injured as of early Sunday represented a 44 percent increase compared with last year, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

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Sunday marked the start of the Year of the Tiger on the lunar calendar.

Zhou confirmed the injuries during the Chinese New Year festivities, Spring Festival, were all minor. No reports of casualties were reported.

Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau sources said in preparation for New Year's Eve festivities Saturday, a large security force was dispatched to prevent injuries and violence.

The security force included 25,000 police officers, along with 13,000 armed police and militia.

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