Chinatown Information 2016 - Chinese new
Chinese New Year
For every Chinese new year there will be an animal which the year will be of. For example 2015 is the year of the Sheep, some cultures prefer to refer to this year being the year of the goat or sheep. The Chinese new year celebrations last for 15 days making it the most important festival for the Chinese culture all over the world.
The Chinese new year is celebrated in different ways by different people but the majority will keep a theme of red throughout decorations as red is seen as the luckiest colour above all. The older generation of the Chinese community will often send letters and gifts in red envelopes as a way of passing on good luck to friends and family.
Unlike the new year celebrated by the British culture, the Chinese new year will be celebrated on a different date every year, this will be dependent on the Chinese lunar calendar.
Although the Chinese new year is a cultural celebration it is also celebrated by many that are not part of that culture. In the UK over 500,000 people will celebrate the occasion in London Chinatowns, Trafalgar Square. This festival is for over a third of the world's population and is celebrated by a greater number of people than that. To find out more click here.