Lunar New Year is widely celebrated throughout the UK, especially in larger cities and on university campuses. In fact, London hosts the largest annual Lunar New Year celebrations outside of Asia, offering an incredible opportunity to immerse yourself in this joyous cultural event. Read on for some Lunar New Year facts. 1. The date changes Celebrate the Year of the Snake in London, the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations outside Asia.. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people descend on the West End to enjoy a colourful parade, free stage performances and traditional Chinese food, and to wish each other "Xin Nian Kuai Le" (Happy New Year in Mandarin) or "Sun Nin Faai Lok" (in Cantonese). The main events to be held in the UK during the Chinese New Year are: On January 28, the Spring Festival Eve, the London Eye will be lit up in red to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Snake. Between January 27 and February 9, 50 buses in London will be decorated with a "Hello, China" advertisement. On Saturday 1 February 2025 lion dance performances weave through the streets of Chinatown between 11am-5pm.. The major celebrations happen on Sunday 2 February 2025, with the Chinese New Year The Chinese New Year is set for 29 January 2025, marking the beginning of the Year of the Snake and bringing in various traditional celebrations. This educational pack designed for primary schools includes resources and activities to help teachers and pupils learn more about this important spring festival and explore Chinese language and culture. BAO. Battersea. From the 20th January, the popular BAO is offering a celebratory Taiwanese tasting menu – along with prizes to be won and snake-themed BAO Bakery Goods. For three weeks you can enjoy a range of good-luck dishes, and every guest who chooses the set menu receives a red envelope filled with snazzy prizes, from BAO vouchers to BAO x Carhartt t-shirts. Expect acrobatic Lion and Dragon dances in Peninsula Square from 1.30pm, Firepit Art Gallery exhibitions celebrating Lunar New Year; hands-on workshops like woodblock printing, bamboo weaving and Chinese knot-making; live music from Eastern Margins DJs, and the Eternal Market - a vibrant Pan Asian showcase featuring contemporary and traditional fare, brimming with delicious food, unique crafts The first Sunday of the Year of the Wood Snake, February 2, will see the largest Lunar New Year celebrations outside Asia taking place in London. What began in the 1970s as a small community The Lantern Festival marks the first full moon of the new lunar year. Take a look at the most important dates for the Lunar New Year this year. 3. It began with the legend of the ancient beast. Lunar New Year began with the legend of an ancient, mythical beast named Nian 年獸 (the character for ‘year). This year we'll be ushering in the Year of The Dragon. When to celebrate Chinese New Year in London. On Chinese New Year's Eve (this year on January 28), families usually have big reunion dinners together after everyone has traveled home from far, and give lucky envelopes (also known as red packets) to the kids in the family. Guide to Lunar New Year 2025 - the history of Chinese New Year, it's traditions, calendar, and best places to celebrate in Canada. Celebrate British Columbia Day Large candles are lit Darma Ramsi Temple to mark the Chinese Lunar New Year in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. How my family celebrate Lunar New Year. 11 hrs ago. Wales. Chinese New Year event I've had to listen about this before but I didn't know about how the years received their names, is really interesting and how everything is focus to call prosperity and success. here is completely different, we celebrate the new year on December 31 with family, food and loud music. in another way it is bad luck to say new year wishes to everybody. and me, I was born in the year of tiger 2010 yes, i'm 10 years old(now, I'm in 2020!) Log in or register to post comments Submitted by PinkGuitarGirl on Mon, 18/02/2019 - 03:06 So Chinese New Year is an opportunity to gain insight into a community that is part of UK culture. As every teacher in the UK knows, understanding diversity is an important part of the curriculum. In my school in Wakefield, in the north of England, we have been using the British Council’s Chinese New Year pack for the last three years. Print instructions to make a Chinese lantern. 244.87 KB Select rating Give it 1/5 Give it 2/5 Give it 3/5 Give it 4/5 Give it 5/5 Average: 4.1 ( 9 votes) Travelling instead of staying at home to celebrate Chinese New Year has become more popular during the past few years. With the rapid development of transportation, especially high-speed railways and airways, it’s more convenient for Chinese to travel during the 7-day holiday, which provides a good opportunity for people to relax and take a 7. Sending Chinese New Year Wishes. During Chinese New Year, Chinese people will greet each other with pleasant words like: 'Xin nian kuai le' which means 'Happy New Year' (simplified Chinese: 新年快乐). See more Chinese New Year Greetings and Wishes. 8. Watching the New Year TV Gala Chinese New Year follows the moon's cycle, which means it falls every year on a different day. In 2025, it starts on 28 January and runs for seven days, with the first day being the most important. Particularly for Chinese New Year, it’s considered bad luck to shower, throw anything out or sweep during the holiday, so we always do a big clear out beforehand to prepare for the New Year. The thought is that you sweep the bad luck away and make room for the good, so we do a big clean, declutter and general sort out.
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