Susan S. Cheung, who grew up in the UK, writes:
“The Lunar/Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important celebration for Chinese and other Asian people (over 20 % of the world's population). It's also part of the story of immigration; a bond linking overseas Chinese and their descendants to their heritage, even though they live thousands of miles away from their ancestral homelands.”
Celebrations for Chinese people are of great religious significance and include a ritual cleaning of their houses and visit to the temple, but also involve feasting with the family, celebration, fireworks, and gift-giving. This festival follows the lunar calendar so it can fall any time from late January to mid-February and begins on the first day of a new moon and ends with the full moon on the day of the Lantern Festival.
The Chinese calendar follows a 12-year pattern with each year named after an animal. A simple story story to explain this is that Lord Buddha invited all of the animals to join him for a New Year celebration, but only 12 animals came, so to reward them, the Buddha named a year after each of them in the order that they arrived. The cycle then starts with the Rat, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Depending on the year you are born, you are believed to have the various character traits of that year's animal.
Celebrations in London are famous for colourful parades, fireworks and dancing through streets. The route starts in the Strand and goes along Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue. Other activities include a family show in Trafalgar Square with dazzling dragon and lion dances and traditional and contemporary Chinese arts by performers from both London and China. There are fireworks displays in Leicester Square, as well as cultural stalls, food, decorations and lion dance displays throughout the day in Chinatown.
“The Lunar/Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important celebration for Chinese and other Asian people (over 20 % of the world's population). It's also part of the story of immigration; a bond linking overseas Chinese and their descendants to their heritage, even though they live thousands of miles away from their ancestral homelands.”
Celebrations for Chinese people are of great religious significance and include a ritual cleaning of their houses and visit to the temple, but also involve feasting with the family, celebration, fireworks, and gift-giving. This festival follows the lunar calendar so it can fall any time from late January to mid-February and begins on the first day of a new moon and ends with the full moon on the day of the Lantern Festival.
The Chinese calendar follows a 12-year pattern with each year named after an animal. A simple story story to explain this is that Lord Buddha invited all of the animals to join him for a New Year celebration, but only 12 animals came, so to reward them, the Buddha named a year after each of them in the order that they arrived. The cycle then starts with the Rat, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Depending on the year you are born, you are believed to have the various character traits of that year's animal.
Celebrations in London are famous for colourful parades, fireworks and dancing through streets. The route starts in the Strand and goes along Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue. Other activities include a family show in Trafalgar Square with dazzling dragon and lion dances and traditional and contemporary Chinese arts by performers from both London and China. There are fireworks displays in Leicester Square, as well as cultural stalls, food, decorations and lion dance displays throughout the day in Chinatown.