KEY POINTS:
With the Year of the Ox well and truly ushered in, the lengthy 15-day Chinese New Year festivities were brought to a close throughout New Zealand yesterday.
In Auckland's Albert Park, fireworks lit the skies at the Lantern Festival, which celebrated its 10th birthday and brought in crowds exceeding 150,000 over three days, according to organisers.
Chinese New Year is traditionally observed for 15 days, and today, known as yuan xiao jie, marks the last day of the celebrations.
Lantern festivals, which have been celebrated since 206BC during the Han Dynasty, are held on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar to mark the end of the New Year festivities. Auckland is one of the few places outside of China to have a Lantern Festival.
