Cheers as schoolchildren and shoppers celebrate arrival of Chinese New Year

​Hundreds of school children and shoppers cheered and shouted as the Vancouver Quarter welcomed in the Chinese New Year in style

Pupils from Whitefriars CoE Academy, Howard Infant and Nursery School, Eastgate Academy, and St Michaels CoE Academy enjoyed watching on as the James Uglow Lion Group returned to the shopping centre on Monday 8 February on Baxter’s Plain to herald in the year of the Monkey.

Abbie Panks, Vancouver Quarter centre manager, said: “A huge thank you to the performers from the James Uglow Lion Group for returning to the Vancouver Quarter and helping us to welcome in the Chinese New Year in style.

“Their energetic performance drew a large crowd of around 300 schoolchildren and shoppers on Baxter’s Plain and we were delighted to see so many get into the spirit of the dance and join in too!”

Wendy Darrell, Assistant Principal at Eastgate Academy, added: “It was an amazing experience for everybody. The children loved the noise of the drums and were thrilled when the lion came near to us. They particularly enjoyed it when the lion fell over at the end!”

People born in the Year of the Monkey are characterised as quick-witted, curious, innovative and mischievous. The general image of people in this zodiac sign is of always being smart, clever and intelligent, especially in their career and wealth.

Famous people born under the monkey sign include Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Dickens, Celine Dion, Tom Hanks, Diana Ross, Daniel Craig, and Mick Jagger.

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is marked by the lunisolar Chinese calendar, so the date changes from year to year. The festivities traditionally start the day before the New Year and continue until the Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the New Year.

Each Chinese New Year is characterised by one of 12 animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese zodiac is divided into 12 blocks (or houses) just like its western counterpart, but with the major difference being that each house has a time-length of one year instead of one month.

The Monkey is the ninth animal in the cycle. The next Year of the Monkey will be in 2028.