The Chinese New Year this year starts on 12th February, which is the Chinese lunar New Year Day, and it lasts till January 30th 2022. It is the year of the Ox, a Metal Ox year. An Ox year happens every 12 years and recent ones were 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, and 2009.

The Zodiac sign Ox holds the second position in the Chinese Zodiac. The 12 Zodiac signs in order are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Money, Rooster, Dog, and finally Pig.

For those born in the Year of the Ox, their Chinese Zodiac sign in an Ox. The Chinese Zodiac Year starts from the Chinese New Year from late January to mid-February. So those of you that have birthdays in January or February in those years, you may be an Ox or a Rat.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2021 is more of a lucky year for men and women born in the Year of the Ox, the Year of the Snake, the Year of the Rooster and the Year of the Rat.

There were several famous people born in the Year of the Ox.

• Barack Obama: born on August 4, 1961, a Metal Ox

• Vincent Van Gogh: born on March 30, 1853, a Water Ox

• Adolf Hitler: born on April 20, 1889, an Earth Ox

• Walt Disney: born on December 5, 1901, a Gold Ox

• Margaret Thatcher: born on October 13, 1925, a Wood Ox

The Chinese New Year is the start of the Chinese calendar and is usually called the Spring Festival in mainland China . The first day of the New Year starts with the New Moon that appears between 21st January and February 20th. It's a major holiday in China and has influenced new year celebrations of China's neighbouring cultures including Korean New Year, The Tet of Vietnam, and the Losar of Tibet. It is also celebrated worldwide where there are a lot of Chinese people.

In 1928 the Kuomintang Party said the Chinese New Year will fall on the first of January following the Gregorian Calendar. This was abandoned due to overwhelming opposition from the populace. In 1967 during the Cultural Revolution the New Year celebrations were banned. The State Council of the People Republic of China said that the people should change their customs and and have a revolutionized and fighting Spring Festival. Since people needed to work on Chinese New Year they did not have holidays for the Spring Festival Day. The celebrations however were reinstated by the time of the Chinese economic reform.

The festival was traditionally a time to honour deities and ancestors. In China itself, regional customs vary and the evening before the New Years Day is often regarded as a time for families to gather for the annual dinner. It is a tradition for every family to clean their house, which sweeps away any ill-fortune and makes way for incoming good luck

The Chinese Society is based on family and that can be seen through the importance placed on the New Year's Eve dinner - or Reunion dinner. It is a very important feast to the Chinese and all family members must come back to attend. If they really can’t their spot is left empty at the table and a spare set of utensils set for them.

In the legend of the Spring Festival, this was when the monster Nian would come to the villages and terrorize everybody, so the people hid in their houses and prepared a feast with offerings to the ancestors and gods, and hoped for the best.

The Chinese take pride in their food and a lot of care and thought is put into the New Years Eve feast. As with the decorations for the New Year, the dishes are made to give blessings for the next year, and the names and looks are symbols for prosperity, and happiness. The food set out on the table for the meal looks absolutely delicious.

Every region has different customs but there are some common dishes seen on every table.
Spring rolls, dumplings, noodles with fish or meat added, steamed fish, steamed chicken, rice cakes - and they are not what we buy over here - different vegetable dishes and a hot pot.

How can we celebrate it?
Well, the obvious way is to have a Chinese meal, either a takeaway if you can't be bothered to cook one or actually take the time and trouble to cook a nice meal. Their food is lovely.
Whatever you do I hope you enjoy it and I wish you an Xīnnián kuàilè

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