Major celebrations like Easter and Christmas and Bonfire Night and Halloween might only come but once every 12 months – but in February it will be time to light your firecrackers ready to celebrate another New Year.
Just 39 days after the world welcomed 2016, the Chinese Zodiac New Year will begin on February 8 with the Year of the Monkey.
Don’t forget the key phrase – Kung Hey Fat Choi! (Happy New Year) – if you join the celebrations in Birmingham.
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Footage from the 2015 Chinese New Year celebrations When will Birmingham host the 2016 Chinese New Year celebrations?
From 11am-6pm on Sunday, February 7.
Where will they be held?
Head to Southside. The city’s Chinatown area is in and around the Arcadian Centre on Hurst Street close to Birmingham Hippodrome.
Don’t forget that road access to Smallbrook Queensway from Hurst Street has been suspended.
Follow diversions – and allow plenty of time to ge there.
Adam Fradgley Dragon dance at the Chinese New Year of the Tiger celebrations in 2010
How many people are expected?
Estimates range from 15-30,000 visitors, depending on the weather.
There was a crowd of 19,000 in 2015 despite lots of rain.
The majority of visitors are usually students and families and it is thought that 50 per cent are typically Chinese speakers.
Nick Wilkinson Chinese New Year celebrations at the Arcadian Centre, 2014
What will happen in Birmingham that day?
On-stage entertainment will include lion dancers, acrobats, martial arts, traditional music and dancing, plus kids craft area and fairground, market stalls.
There will also be a Far Eastern Food Festival.
The festivities will begin at 12.30 with an opening speech from Birmingham’s Lord Mayor Coun Ray Hassall.
The event will conclude at 5pm with a spectacular Lion Dance and firecracker finale!
Will people still be talking about it in 45 years’ time like these New Year Resolutions 1970?
Nick Wilkinson Birmingham’s Chinese New Year celebrations in 2014
Are traders welcome?
A limited number of market stalls are available for hire from 11am-6pm on Sunday, February 7.
They cost from £150 and are sold on a first come first served basis.
The Far Eastern Food Festival has room for three food vendors.
The deadline for advertising in a commemorative 32-page programme about the day has already passed.
Nick Wilkinson Chinese New Year celebrations in Birmingham, 2014
Why does the date of the Chinese New Year vary?
Like our own Easter, the date moves around the conventional Gregorian calendar.
The Chinese New Year is tied in with lunar cycles and it can be anytime from late January to mid-February.
The New Year festivities start on the first day of the lunar month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest.
The first week is celebrated with visits to friends and family following various traditions designed to bring good luck and drive away evil spirits.
The second week, by which time most people have returned to work, ends with a lantern festival on the evening of the 15th day of the lunar month, and can also be a time when single men and women look for a partner.
On February 8, the Chinese Zodiac New Year will herald the Year of the Monkey is just one of the many exciting events to look forward to in Birmingham in 2016.
Easter Sunday this year in Britain is on March 27, the second earliest date this century after 2008 when Easter Sunday was on March 23.
Iain Findlay Year of the Dragon celebrations in 2012
Were you born during The Year of the Monkey?
Those who were will generally have birthdays in 2004, 1992, 1980, 1968, 1956, 1944, 1932 and 1920 – assuming they weren’t born early enough in the year to fall under the previous sign, the Year of the Ram.
The next generation to have this sign of quick wit, mischievousness and creativity will be born in 2028.
Adam Fradgley Chinese New Year of the Tiger celebrations in 2010
Where is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese Zodiac?
It is the ninth sign of the Chinese Zodiac which completes its own cycle every 12 years.
Other signs include the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, (monkey), rooster, dog, and pig.
Is there only one type of Monkey year?
No, there are five different ones.
2016 is the first return of the “fire monkey” since 1956.
Other monkey types include wood (1944, 2004); earth (1908, 1968); gold (1920, 1980) and water (1932, 1992) – but not, it would seem, cheeky.
Rui Vieira/PA Wire Chinese New Year of the Dragon celebrations in 2012
What does this year say about luck?
Generally speaking, your luck could be at its worst if this is the point in the 12-year cycle when your birth sign comes back round again.
The best month for finances will be the second and twelfth months.
What are the other vital signs?
Numbers – lucky 4 and 9; unlucky 2 and 7
Colours – lucky blue, gold and white; unlucky pink and red
Months – lucky Chinese lunar months eight and 12; unlucky Chinese lunar months seven and 11.
Love – lucky from August 3-31, October 31-November 28 and December 30 to January 27, 2017; comparatively unlucky from June 6 to July 3 and from September 1-30.
Ideal partner – ox or rabbit; least ideal partner – tiger or pig.
Dale Martin Brindleyplace Dragonboat Festival 2015 in aid of Cure Leukaemia
Will there be any more celebrations?
Yes. Every year there is also now a Chinese Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival.
Originally launched in 2011, it was held on September 25 in 2015.
In late Spring there is also a Dragonboat Festival in Brindleyplace which last year featured 20 boats racing on May 30 in a bid to raise £100,000 for Cure Leukaemia.
Graham Young James Wong, Chinese Festival Committee Chairman
Who organises the Chinese New Year events in Birmingham?
The Chinese Festival Committee (Birmingham) – a voluntary, non-profit making organisation dedicated to organising Chinese Festivities in Birmingham.
Chairman James Wong says: “Our Chinese New Year event is one of the largest in the Midlands.
“All members of the community are welcome to our festivals, and entry is always free.”
Donations area also welcomed.
Details from the Chinese New Year website.
Iain Findlay Chinese New Year of the Dragon celebrations at The Arcadian Centre in 2012
Can you help the organisers?
Yes. Volunteers are sought for everything from signposting and distributing flyers to fundraising and being good ambassadors.
Those who support the event for the minimum requirement of 12 hours, either before or on the big day itself, will receive a certificate of proof as well as access to the VIP area.
Iain Findlay Chinese Year of the Dragon celebrations, 2012
What else do I need to know?
A £1 million campaign to build a Chinese Arch for Chinatown has to date raised £4,600.
Using money raised by the Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee and the Institute of Oriental Business (IOB), there is also a plan to erect two Foo Dog statues to offer all Chinatown businesses and visitors good fortune and protection.
Adam Fradgley The Arcadian Centre welcomes the New Year of the Tiger in 2010
Are there any other organisations I should know about?
The Chinese Community Centre Birmingham (CCC-B) is a registered charity which exists to help people to learn, share and offer opportunities.
Established in 1977 by a group of Chinese volunteers to provide information and advice to Chinese immigrants, it organises day trips and outings for its user groups and members throughout the year.
The name of its HQ means “a place for people to be happy.”
Source: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/