Feb. 5 marks the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Thousands of visitors went to Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing to burn incense and pray for good luck. People waited outside the famous Tibetan Buddhist temple for about 12 hours starting at midnight in order to get the first prayer of the New Year. /VCG Photo

For a hundred years, Yonghe Palace has been one of the most prosperous temples for worshiping in Beijing. The number of prayers here has increased every year, with the first and fifteenth day of the lunar Chinese New Year being among the busiest. /VCG Photo

This is believed that burning incense and praying on the first day of the New Year will make prayers more readily heard by the Buddhas. And particularly, if they can successfully grab the spot to be the first one in the temple to burn the incense, their wishes are most likely to come true. /VCG Photo

Usually, people enter the temple hall to pray on their knees. But due to safety concerns, they are now allowed to just get close to the hall, bow, and quickly walk through. /VCG Photo