NYC schools get new day off, close for Lunar New Year

The Chinese New Year holiday traditionally sees a deluge of seasonal new releases from brands across the price spectrum targeted at the lucrative mainland China market.

The Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and Town Hall are among the many iconic structures that are lighting up red to welcome the Year of the Monkey.

The Lunar New Year will mark the start of the Year of the Monkey on the Chinese calendar on February 8.

Asian Americans reportedly celebrate Chinese New Year less because of traditional, superstitious beliefs, but because it is something that reinforces their identities.

In San Francisco, North America’s oldest and the world’s largest Chinatown, residents have held a New Year’s parade since 1858. Chinese-Australians have all made their new year’s wishes.

People born in the Year of the Monkey have been described to be curious, mischievous, and intelligent.

The holiday is often referred to as Chinese New Year, as Chinese Emperor Huangdi is generally credited with introducing the lunar calendar around 2600 BCE.

On Feb.6, from 10 a.m. onwards, guests can witness Binondo-based schools and organizations create eye-catching Chinese lanterns at the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival, launched in partnership with the Kou Shou Art Club. 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’. The moves are agile and swift, with some of them even imitating the monkey in real life. Respondents who normally spent 2.2 hours each week watching TV said they would do so for 2.7 hours weekly during the lunar new year-possibly driven by events like the China Central Television Spring Festival Gala, which 72% of respodnents said they “definitely” would watch, up from 58% who said the same in 2015.

Some Chinese will be celebrating year 4714 while others 2130. This may be regrettable as Chinese New Year, the peak shopping season of the year, offers an upshot in sales for luxury brands in particular, which are slowing as China’s economy weakens.

HK: The Chelsea away game kicks off at midnight in Hong Kong on New Year’s Day, while our supporters’ club will be organising a live screening of the Sunderland game, which falls on the sixth day of the holiday. In addition, Universal Studios Hollywood’s celebration of the Chinese New Year has attracted crowds from around the world.

1992, 1980, 1968, 1956, and 1944 were also Year of the Monkey.

2016 sees the Year of the Monkey start tomorrow, and will end on the 27 January 2017.

According to the lunar calendar, this monkey year will be presided over by yang fire and metal.

In southern China, where most people prefer rice to wheat, families eat glutinous rice cakes instead of dumplings for new year dinners.

Lion and Dragon dance at Lucky Chinatown Mall. But the Chinese dragon is actually a part of the folklore assigned to the beginning of the New Year.