Chinese New Year Celebrations 2016

​With the beat of a drum and a dancing dragon, the Vancouver Quarter is gearing up to welcome in the Chinese New Year in style.

The James Uglow Lion Group will be returning to the shopping centre to perform on Baxter’s Plain (near Argos, Beales and Costa) at 12noon on Monday, February 8 to herald in the year of the Monkey.

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.

Abbie Panks, Vancouver Quarter centre manager, said: “Once again we will be inviting schools from around King’s Lynn to join us in the centre to watch the performance. The James Uglow Lion Group performance is always incredibly energetic and never fails to engage the children”

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.