New Year’s fireworks a little quieter in Chinese capital

Millions of people around the world are celebrating Chinese New Year on Monday, the first day of the Year of the Monkey.

Chinese worshipers of the Monkey King are eagerly awaiting the upcoming Lunar New Year on February 8, which marks the start of the Year of the Monkey, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency.

While 2016 is supposed to be unlucky for those previously born in the year of the monkey, for these Asian Americans Lunar New Year 2016 is more about a celebration of ethnic pride rather than beliefs about the Chinese Zodiac.

Unfortunately, it is not just the catalogue of positive traits that the Chinese folks inherit from the animal in question; they may get the negative side too: for instance, those who are born in the Year of Monkey can be temperamental and somewhat arrogant as well.

Students put up a special dance performance to wish their teachers a happy Lunar New Year.

A look at what mischief the Year of the Monkey may have in store.

The festivities usually begin the day before the New Year and carry through until the Lantern Festival – which falls on the 15th day of the new year. Firecrackers signify a goodbye to the old year and a festive welcome to the new year.

Among the 23 amusement parks offering discounts or other incentives, the Yeliu Ocean Park in the northern tip of Taiwan will admit those born in a monkey year free of charge during February 8-14. But since nian gao is “not that tasty”, he notes, some Chinese families have abandoned the traditional rice cake in favor of other delicacies – “anything you can afford to buy: chicken, duck, pork shoulder”.

But this year Chinese revelers are not going to make things markedly worse in such cities as Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou, which have banned fireworks outright during the holidays. The Indian Ocean quake and tsunami that killed over 200,000 also happened under the monkey sign (2004).

Although the Chinese drum differed from the traditional Malay hand drums, Mr Rashid who speaks fluent Mandarin said: “Having the right rhythm and focus are key”. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability.

“We wish to have a good start from the year of the lucky monkey”, Ban said, referring to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Please see our terms of service for more information. On the first day of the New Year, reunion dinners also feature a communal hot pot as it is believed to signify the coming together of the family members for the meal. During the Spring Festival, red is a particularly popular choice.