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New Year in Chinatown

Also known as the Spring Festival, the date of the new year is determined by the new moon, and celebrations traditionally last until the appearance of the full moon 15 days later.

As the year of the ram/sheep/goat exits, the year of the monkey will begin. Preparations for the Chinese New year usually begin about a month before the date.

Houses are given a thorough spring cleaning from top to bottom to get rid of any bad luck, and decorated with ‘red couplets’ which are Chinese good luck sayings written on red paper.

Debts are repaid, hair is cut and new clothes and presents are bought. On New Year’s Eve houses are brightly lit and families sit together for a large meal. Most people stay up all night celebrating and at midnight fireworks and firecrackers are set off to frighten away evil spirits.

New Year in Chinatown

On New year’s Day itself children wake up early to find small red envelopes containing money, a tradition called Hong Bao meaning ‘red packet’. Unmarried adults will also receive packets of money.

Greetings of ‘Kung Hey Fat Choi’ are exchanged. There are many rituals and taboos associated with Chinese New Year.

Cleaning a house on New Year’s Day runs the risk of washing or sweeping away good luck. For the same reason washing hair is avoided. Sharp implements are also avoided as they run the risk of cutting the threads of good fortune brought in at New Year.

The Lantern festival marks the end of the festivities on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year. This is celebrated with lantern displays and a dragon dance where a huge dragon head and body supported by a team of dancers weaves it’s way around the streets collecting money on it’s route.