Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival which is held between January to February every year. It is one of the most celebrated festivals for the Chinese in Singapore. Everyone in the Chinese family welcome the coming of spring with colourful festival steeped in centuries-old tradition. Below are some of the ways that Singaporeans celebrate the Lunar New Year.


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Walking around Chinatown

One of the main activities that Singaporeans will do when nearing or during the Lunar New Year is to visit and have a walk in Chinatown. Nearing the Lunar New Year, Chinatown is filled with the festive mood and excitement surrounds the air about a few weeks or even a month before the first day of the Lunar New Year. Chinatown will be decorated with the Year's Chinese Zodiac Sign. There, one is able to find traditional Chinese New Year cookies like the love letters, pineapple tarts, meat jerkies, red-paper or colourful Chinese New Year decorations, and baskets of mandarins for good luck. If one is married, it is an age-old tradition to prepare hong bao also known as the red packets which contain money and are usually given to those who are young and single. During the Chinese New Year, the Chinese will visit their friends and relatives and would offer them mandrin oranges and wish them "Gong Xi Fa Cai" in Chinese, which means wishing one good fortune.


Chinatown





Meat Jerkies (Barbecued Meat)



Hong Bao (Red Packets)



Chinese New Year Decorations



Pineapple Tarts

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Singapore River Hong Bao Carnival
Chinatown is not the only place to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The Singapore River Hong Bao carnival, which is held at Marina Promenade, is also worth a visit.
The River Hong Bao is a huge and lively place for visitors to enjoy themselves. One is able to find floats decorated as mythical creatures, legendary heroes, Chinese gods, pagodas and cherry blossoms. One can even get a special Chinese zodiac reading of your birth sign. For example, if you were born in the Year of the Snake, you may be told that you have much wisdom and is a determined person. You can have a look below to see which Chinese Zodiac Sign you belong to.


Chinese Animal Zodiac Signs with respect to the year when one is born

Rat

1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996

Ox

1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997

Tiger

1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998

Rabbit

1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999

Dragon

1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000

Snake

1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001

Horse

1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002

Sheep

1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003

Monkey

1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004

Rooster

1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005

Dog

1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006

Boar(Pig)

1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007

The Chingay Parade
The Chingay Parade is the biggest parade in Singapore, which is also another program that is held during the Chinese New Year festival. The parade is usually held in the heart of the city center. A performance of the traditional Chinese dragon and lion dances during the Chingay is one of the highlights of the Parade. Don't miss it! You can experience this Chingay Parade which offers a different ambience from that of the Christmas festival in the Western country.

Here is a picture that shows the route of the Chingay parade:


http://www.chingay.org.sg/2008/parade/highlights_preview.asp