Chinese New Year of the Tiger : Chinatown Webcams
The Chinese New Year is actually a moveable feast. Like many ancient customs, it follows the lunar calendar as well as the Gregorian calendar and consequently the New Year can begin anytime from late January to mid February, unlike our own thankfully fixed date. As various scholars have calculated the year from the reign of Huangdi, this year is either 4708, 4707 or 4647, but don’t accept cheques with any of these dates!
February 14th will be the beginning of the Year of the Tiger, one of the 12 symbols of the Chinese zodiac. Those born in the year of the tiger will be born leaders, noble and fearless, unpredictable, always in a hurry and fearless fighters. They have a lot to live up to!
The New Year is the most important of traditional Chinese holidays and is a great event for Koreans, Tibetans, Mongolians and the Vietnamese too. The festivities are very colourful in Chinatown Singapore. Many ex-pat Chinese hold large and colourful celebrations in the UK, Australia, Canada and the US so checkout some webcams of your favourite ethnic communities. London has huge celebrations planned in Trafalgar Square and LeicesterSquare on Sunday Feb 21st. Chinatown London will of course be celebrating in style on the 14th.
Like all good parties the Chinese New Year involves exchanging gifts, decorations, special food and new clothes. The family traditionally clean the house to sweep out ill-fortune and make way for the incoming good luck. Red is the colour of the festival and windows are decorated with red paper cutouts and money is given in red envelopes. The end of the old year is concluded with the Lantern Festival and dragon dances, lion dances and fireworks herald in the New Year… China Webcam