The Year of The Rooster – When is Chinese New Year?
Unlike the New Year festivities you may be accustomed to, Chinese New Year is movable and is celebrated on a different day each year. The date of Chinese New Year is dependent on the lunar calendar, which is shorter than the solar calendar.
January 28th 2017 signifies the start of the Year of the Rooster. The Rooster is the 10th animal in the cycle and won’t be celebrated again until 2029. People that are born in the Year of the Rooster are said to be intelligent, flexible, energetic and honest individuals, however the year of your sign is said to be one of the unluckiest.
Lucky things Roosters should remember:
- Numbers – 5, 7 and 8
- Days – The 4th and 26th days of a Chinese lunar month
- Colours – Gold, brown and yellow
- Flowers – Gladiola, Cockscomb plant
- Directions – South, South-east
Celebrations begin on 27th January, New Years Eve, and this will normally welcome a 2-week long celebration.
Chinese New Year, the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar, will see millions across the world join in with the colourful celebration of music, dancing, eating, firecrackers and gift giving.
People decorate their houses with red paper decorations, banners and customary New Year paintings during the celebratory season.
New Years Eve is equally as important and typically families will gather for a large festive dinner, finished off with the lighting of firecrackers to signify the end of the year and the birth of a new.
Chinese New Year is celebrated in a big way in China, it is a family affair and is seen as a day to ‘cleanse’. Houses will traditionally be cleaned from head-to-toe and ‘bad-fortunes’ will be swept away to ensure a fresh start to the New Year.
Habitually, children receive red envelopes filled with ‘lucky money’, along with well wishes. And of course, in this digital age, this tradition has been propelled in to the 21st century with the addition of apps now available to transfer money electronically.
How does London celebrate?
London has become known for their famous parade that can attract up to 70,000 people to the city and has earned its title as the ‘largest celebration outside of Asia’. The parade will take place on Sunday 29th January between 10am and 6pm. Dancers, street entertainers, floats and martial art performers are set to entertain the crowd. The renowned parade, starring lion dancers, will set off from Trafalgar Square and meander its way through the streets of London to the vibrant core of Chinatown.
‘sshin-nyen kwhy-ler’ – New Year Happiness in Mandarin! How will you be celebrating Chinese New Year?
