Time to gallop toward Chinese New Year

Gung Hay Fat Choy, Langara students!

Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and Vancouver is getting ready to celebrate.

Before you put your party pants on, there are a few things you need to know about one of China’s most important traditional holidays.

Year of the Horse 

Chinese New Year falls on this Friday, Jan. 31, and so begins the Year of the Horse. If you were born in 1979 or 1990, your luck will be maximized if you “wear red underpants or a red belt for the entire lunar year,” according to journalism student Edmond Lu.

If you’re not born in the Year of the Horse, there are some things you can do to ensure you have all the luck you need.

To make sure you don’t wash away potential wealth, the International Business Times suggests avoiding washing your hair for the first three days of the lunar year.

The new year also calls for new things; it’s widely believed in Chinese culture that new things purchased in the beginning of the lunar year will bring about new beginnings.

Now that your luck is set for the new year, it’s time to celebrate.

Celebrating Chinese New Year in Vancouver 

Vancouver has a number of events for Chinese New Year to entertain its Chinese population of more than 402,000.

Some of the most popular events going on in the city include Richmond’s Aberdeen Centre’s Chinese New Year Flower & Gift Fair, running until Jan. 31; Vancouver’s Chinese New Year Parade & Cultural Fair on Feb. 2 in Chinatown; and LunarFest from Feb. 8-9 at the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza.

The Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver organized Vancouver’s first Chinese New Year Parade in 1974, and it has been running every year since.

Although Vancouver has many celebrations going on for the new year, some Vancouver residents such as Centina Lowe prefer to spend time at home with their families and eat a traditional Chinese Dinner on New Year’s Eve. Chinese New Year is a time for families who are spread out all over the world to come back together to celebrate.

Happy Chinese New Year! Get out there and celebrate, Langara!

Reported by Ashley Legassic