With the upcoming Chinese New Year festivities on Friday 12th February, preparations are beginning today (Thursday 4th February) in northern areas of China and tomorrow (Friday 5th February 2021) in southern areas of China.
The date of the Chinese New Year marks the first day of their lunar calendar, which begins the day after the first new moon appears between 21 January and 20 February each year.
In China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other Chinese communities across the world, including in the UK, celebrations will last for 16 days.
The first week of festivities, from 11-17 February is a national public holiday in China.
Celebrations are normally extravagent, with fireworks, parades, dragon costumes on display, a large family dinner on the eve of New Year and lantern festivals on the last day. Traditionally red envelopes are given as gifts to friends and family to mark the Chinese New Year . Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year the major events have been moved online.
Each year, the Chinese calendar is one of the twelve animal signs. In 2020 it was the year of the Rat and this year, 2021 it is the year of the Ox.
In Chinese culture, the Ox is the second animal in the lunar calendar. According to a Chinese myth this is because the animals were decided in the order in which they arrived at a party thrown by the Jade Emperor.
We wish our colleagues, our parent company CRRC, customers, distributors, reps and suppliers celebrating Chinese New Year around the world, a safe and prosperous Year of the Ox.