Celebrate Chinese New Year!

You might think New Year was a month ago when we celebrated the beginning of 2013.

Well, if you enjoyed the last New Year, you’ll be pleased to know Chinese New Year is coming up on February 10, celebrating the first day of the year 4650 on the Chinese calendar.

Chinese New Year is celebrated in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Mauritius, the Philippines and any country with a Chinatown in the community.

This is the Zodiac wheel showing the different animals in Chinese astrology!

The Chinese calendar has a twelve year cycle, with each year named after an animal. This year is the Year of the Snake. The Chinese New Year occurs on the second new moon after the winter solstice and is also known as the Spring Festival as it traditionally celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

As the date is calculated by the lunar calendar, it falls on a different date each year, somewhere between January 21 and February 20. The Chinese New Year lasts for 15 days and every day of the festival celebrates something new.

Read more on page 2 about how you can celebrate Chinese New Year!