East Anglia's Chinese communities welcomed in the New Year in Peterborough on Tuesday, February 12, 2002. The Year of the Horse
Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the oldest festival in China. Traditionally it is a time to celebrate the earth coming back to life, when ploughing and sowing begin again. This year the Chinese community is ushering in theYear of the Horse. The New Year celebrations run from February 12 until February 26, 2002. Unlike the Western calendar, the Chinese one is calculated from lunar and solar movements, so the actual date varies from year to year. A time for tradition and ritual
People start preparing for the festival during the days leading up to the last moon. Debts are settled, new clothes are bought and hair is cut. 
Fireworks light up the sky |
Homes are cleaned from top to bottom to get rid of evil spirits and streams of red paper are hung on doors. These are decorated with characters bearing messages of good luck. Incense is burned at home and in places of worship to honour ancestors. The colour red is often worn to ward off bad spirits. Traditionally a family meal is served and at midnight fireworks light up the sky, welcoming in the New Year with a bang. Unlike the Western event, at this stage the celebrations are only just beginning! Welcoming the gods
New Year's Day marks "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth". 
A "Red Packet" |
The custom of Hung Bao(Red Packet) is an important part of the celebration. Money is given away to relatives in red envelopes. These packets feature pictures and lucky symbols and are exchanged to wish the recipient good fortune and wealth in the coming year. TheLion Dance is probably the best-known event. It is accompanied by loud music to banish away evil. In China the public holiday lasts for a few days, but the festival continues until the 15th day of the lunar month, ending in the Lantern Festival. | 
