This week, millions of people will be celebrating Chinese New Year. It will be marked by communities all over the world. People will eat lots of food, enjoy fireworks, wear special clothes and hang red lanterns to mark the occasion. This year Chinese New Year will begin on 12 February and lasts for up to 16 days. The reason the new year falls at this time is because it marks the start of the lunar new year, which is when there is the start of a new moon. This year marks the change from the year of the Rat to the year of the Ox. In China, schools and businesses can close for the first few days of the new year, so that everyone can spend time with their families. People enjoy eating lots of delicious food, including noodle soup, which traditionally brings luck for the year ahead. There are typically parades and performances, with people dressed in traditional clothes. Fireworks are also set off, because it is thought that noise and lights will scare away any evil spirits for the coming months. The festivities continue for two weeks, finishing with a special lantern festival, which signals the end of the new year celebration period. To celebrate here at SMG, we gifted all employees with a £20 Deliveroo Voucher - yum!
