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February 7, 2008

Happy Chinese New Year

AP/Photo
A man watches fireworks near the Bell Tower in Beijing on the eve of the Chinese New Year. Thousands of Chinese are expected to flock to temple fairs across the city to celebrate Spring Festival, the annual holiday which marks the arrival of the Lunar New Year, on Thursday.

Spruce up your house and put on your best red outfit: today is Chinese New Year, the first day of a celebration that marks the beginning of the year for more than one billion people worldwide.

Falling between late January and mid-February, the celebration begins the day of the first new moon in the first month of the lunisolar calendar.

That day is today, the end of the Year of the Pig and the start of the Year of the Rat.

Tradition holds that, in preparation for the festival houses are spotless, and that the color red and firecrackers are used liberally – to scare away a mythical beast that was said to visit annually.

By now, for more than one billion people, it’s already Thursday night, and the first day of celebrations is coming to an end. But the New Year festivities last for 15 days, ending in the Lantern Festival on the 15th night.

In Rhode Island, at least one celebration is scheduled Saturday at Bryant University’s Multi-purpose Activities Center (MAC).

The festival, sponsored by several of the university groups, will include lion dancing, martial arts demonstrations, a fashion show, music and prizes. It’s free and open to the public, and for $5, you can get lunch.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 9:17 AM | Permalink

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