1. Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, will begin on 26th January 2009. It is the main Chinese festival of the year and it is not a religious event. As the Chinese use the Lunar calendar for their festivals the date of Chinese New Year changes from year to year. The date corresponds to the new moon (black moon) in either late January or February. In China it is the biggest celebration of the year.

2. The Year of the Ox. The Chinese calendar is made up of a cycle of twelve years, each of them being named after an animal. This is very like our signs of the zodiac. Some people believe that people born in a particular year such as the Year of the Dog will have some of the characteristics of that animal. January 26th 2009 marks the start of the Year of the Ox.

3. Chinese New Year Customs Chinese New Year is a time when families get together to celebrate. It is also a special time to remember members of the family who have died. Every family buys presents, decorations, food, new clothes. Houses are cleaned from top to bottom. Doors and windows are often newly painted in red. On New Year’s Eve decorations made from red and gold paper are hung down the doors to bring good luck.

4. New Year’s Eve Everyone comes together for dinner which is a feast. A popular food is ‘jiaozi’ which are dumplings boiled in water. A coin is often hidden in one of them. The person who finds the coin is thought to be lucky. On New Year’s Eve lights are supposed to be kept on until midnight when there is a display of fireworks and firecrackers which are meant to scare off evil spirits. People greet each other by saying 'Kung Hei Fat Choy!', which means Happy New Year!

5. The Dragon Dance There are also processions in the streets. These are normally led by a dragon, which is a symbol of good fortune and power. Dragon dances are also performed to scare away evil spirits. The dragon model always includes the colours red, gold and green. It is supported by a team of dancers and weaves its way round the streets.

6. The Lantern Festival The celebrations end on the fifteenth day with ‘The Festival of Lanterns’. Everywhere is decorated with lanterns of different sizes and in the streets there is music and dancing. The making of lanterns in China is a tradition which goes back 500 years. Red lanterns are thought to be lucky.

14. CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR AT ST. MARGARET’S WITH AN AUTHENTIC CHINESE DISH SERVED LUNCHTIME EACH DAY FROM MONDAY 26TH JANUARY MONDAY 26/01/09 Braised Beef with steamed vegetables and black bean sauce served with fried rice TUESDAY 27/01/09 Chicken Char Suiwith Hoi Sin noodle stir fry WEDNESDAY 28/01/09 Singapore Special Chow Mein served with soya sauce THURSDAY 29/01/09 Sweet and Sour Pork served with lemon pepper rice FRIDAY 30/01/09 Szechwan Chicken with bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and rice noodles