January 31 marked the beginning of the Chinese New Year. This year is the Year of the Horse and to mark this occasion millions of Chinese people around the world celebrated this event with a lot of fanfare and gusto. It is the longest festival for the Chinese people which starts from the last day of the last month in the Chinese calendar and goes on till the fifteenth day of the first month which marks the lantern festival. The Chinese New Year falls on a different day every year between January 21t and February 21 according to the Gregorian calendar.
The people celebrate this occasion by dancing, praying at the temples and lighting fireworks. It is celebrated in most of the countries apart from China, where there is a large population of Chinese origin people like Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The horse to which this year belongs, is supposed to be wooden in nature as it deals with wood, fire and energy.
There is a lot of mythology associated with the Chinese New Year. According to some experts, there was a monster called Nian which would appear on the last day of every year to eat people and destroy the villages. To escape from this menace a noble man told the villagers to scare away the monster by making a loud noise and spreading light. This practice got stuck with time and now is celebrated as a joyous occasion.
The Chinese follow the motion of the moon to mark the calendar and a huge significance is given to both the lunar and solar eclipse. There are a total of 12 animals to signify each year. These 12 animals are also the zodiac signs for the Chinese people.
Chinese people staying in other countries travel in huge numbers to join their families back home in China during this time. A public holiday is declared for a few days in all the south-east Asian countries.