Chinese New Year kicks off, ringing in the Year of the Monkey

Lunar New Year is an extremely significant period for Australia’s strong Chinese community, as well as the more than one million people from China who pass through the country every year.

This collaboration has resulted in creating a Lunar New Year Brew: Moon Monkey Ale with Ginger, which will be unveiled at the Lunar Brew Tasting at Create Space from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12. 2016 is the year of the monkey.

“While the students come here to learn English and learn about American culture, I also like celebrating their cultures, too”, Jones said.

In King’s Lynn, the West Norfolk and District Chinese Association hosted an annual party to mark the start of Chinese New Year last weekend. Generally it falls between January 21st and February 20th of the Gregorian calendar. Finally recognizing that the city is composed of a huge Asian population, Mayor Bill de Blasio marked the Lunar New Year as a school holiday. In that time, the New Year is honored with parades, horse races, bazaars, time of worship, and other activities. The younger children performed nursery songs in Chinese, decked out in masks that were painted like little monkeys, to celebrate the Year of the Monkey.

Each Chinese year is also characterized by one of twelve animals that are part of the Chinese Zodiac as well as one of five elements: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire or Earth.

People are said to be influenced by the personality of the animal that rules their birth year. Of course, for people previously born in a year of the monkey (1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004), the Chinese Zodiac considers 2016 a year for bad luck.

Daphne Fung said individually it was a year for residents to have fun and find time to relax when possible. Take note, Red Fire Monkeys – you’ll need a few of these to perk your year up while you doggedly face southwest…

BEIJING-Chinese are flocking to temples and fairs to pray for good health and fortune on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday.

The Fijian Chinese community has been growing steadily in strength over the years.

“We want to promote Chinese culture, and we want to contribute to the multiculturalism in Canada, and we would like to let people know this is what we do”, Liu said.

Are you celebrating the Lunar New Year, HollywoodLifers?

Performers dance in the traditional color of red at Huangsi Temple in Shenyang, China.