This festival celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. This can also be called the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year. This is a 16 day festival from New Year’s Eve to the 15th day which is the lantern festival. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21st January and 20th February. There are 12 different animals that correspond to each year; Snake, Horse, Goat, Money, Rooster, Dog, Pig, Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit and Dragon. There are many customs associated with the holiday. On New Year’s Eve, Chinese families gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is traditional for every family to thoroughly clean their house in order to sweep away an ill-fortune and to make way for the incoming good luck. Another custom is the decoration of windows and doors with red paper-cuts and couplets, with themes of these including good fortune or happiness, wealth and longevity. Other festivities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes.
In 2025 it is the year of the Wood Snake beginning on Wednesday 29th January.
Holidays & Special Events 