THINK TRAVELING in the U.S. during the holidays is a crowded pain? Try China during the Lunar New Year period when hundreds of millions of people are on the move, swamping the nation's railways, roads and planes.

The Lunar New Year is China's most important celebration, and everyone wants to get home for the holiday. Also called Chinese New Year and celebrated around the world, it's on Jan. 23 this year (the date varies annually according to the lunar cycle), although the partying goes for days.

In China, more than 200 million migrant workers have flocked to big cities to work, and sometimes it seems all of them want to get home for the new year. In recent years, bad weather and transportation breakdowns have caused epic travel snarls in China, with some train passengers stranded for days.

Once everybody finally gets to where they're going for this upcoming Lunar New Year — the Year of the Dragon — they'll celebrate with fireworks and feasts, and wrap up the fun with the Lantern Festival. Glowing, decorated lanterns are hung everywhere, and dragon dancers take to the streets carrying long, undulating dragons traditionally made of silk and bamboo.

For the rest of us watching, it's happy new year — a second time around.

Kristin R. Jackson is the editor of The Seattle Times NWTraveler section. Contact her at kjackson@seattletimes.com.