Today is Chinese New Year’s Eve, and tonight there will be plenty of festivities in Chinese communities up and down the country.
In the days coming up to New Year, families buy presents, decorations and food, they also buy new clothes and have their hair cut. Houses are cleaned throughout, the aim is to sweep out any bad luck from the old year and clear a path for good luck to come in.
A traditional family feast is prepared with a large variety of dishes, and boiled dumplings called Jiaozi are made and eaten during the night.
Tonight is also the end of the year of the tiger and the start of the year of the rabbit, two of the twelve animals that make up the Chinese zodiac. The other 10 animals are Rat, Ox, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar.
For those of you planning to celebrate the arrival of the year of the rabbit, it might be useful to know some of the seasonal goods you can buy.
LSJ News reporter Nicole Heins went to the Golden Leaf supermarket on Tentercoft Street to find out more about celebrating Chinese New Year. Shopkeeper Yo Wang told her about the seasonal food and products he sells. He also explained the Chinese tradition of giving gifts to children.
Yo Wang mentioned another very traditional way of starting the new year. Why not try a fortune cookie to find out if the year of the rabbit is going to be lucky for you?