Groups schedule events to celebrate lunar new year

New York City has welcomed Chinese New Year – which officially starts tomorrow – in style with a breathtaking fireworks display centred around the iconic Empire State Building.

“We knew that this would be a crucial trading period and wanted to be able to meet all our customers needs during the Year of The Monkey”. Though these predictions sound dire, overall the “Year of the Monkey” is considered to be more auspicious than its predecessor, the ‘Year of the Sheep/Goat’.

In remarks delivered during a reception to mark the 2016 Chinese Spring Festival in Lusaka, the official reiterated his government’s decision to foster bilateral ties between the two countries.

What makes it unique from other holidays is that it is celebrated in several countries differently, with each of them having their own traditions and customs.

The Monkey sign promises success in any field you try.

It is part of a special dinner tonight that will be accompanied by a traditional lion dance, to ward off nian or evil spirits, as well as Chinese musicians and noise-makers and a Chinese calligrapher creating personalised items for guests.

In Surubaya, Indonesia, Cai Shen Ye, god of wealth, also handed out red envelopes of money to devotees during the New Year’s celebrations at Hong San Ko Tee Temple.

CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION – Dragon and Lions dance parade at Onpin St.in Sta. Each cycle lasts 12 months and is represented by an animal.

Leighton Baines, Gareth Barry, Darron Gibson, James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman also sent their best wishes to Chinese supporters around the world, adding that they hope to see Evertonians in China soon.

In this photo, monkey soft toys – some bearing the words “Golden Monkey delivers wealth” – are displayed at a store for a temple fair ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year at Ditan Park in Beijing on February 6, 2016.

People celebrate the Chinese New Year of The Monkey at The Arcadian in Birmingham’s China Town. The year’s lucky numbers are 4 and 9, and the lucky flowers are chrysanthemum and crape-myrtle (a kind of ornamental Chinese shrub).

5,000 miles away, London will be hosting one of the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations outside Asia.

Malaysian ethnic Chinese women take a selfie under illuminated traditional Chinese lanterns on the eve of Lunar New Year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016.