Chinese New Year kicks off, ringing in the Year of the Monkey

An Indonesian ethnic Chinese man lights incense sticks during the celebration of the Lunar New Year at Dharma Bakti Temple at the China Town in Jakarta, Indonesia on February 8, 2016.

A crowd of pedestrians, tourists, and children in Dilworth Park Sunday gathered around the drum beat and dancing lions of Philly’s Sun Lions dance troupe as they performed to preview the coming Chinese New Year celebrations. The way things worked out, the lunar new year (which can fall on different days on the Gregorian calendar) was the best day for farmers to take a break.

The students in Ling Tan’s Chinese class celebrated Chinese New Years by making a traditional dish of dumplings (jiao zi). Although it can be hard to coordinate outside performers, McSorley believes it is worthwhile because an event such as the Lunar New Year celebration plays an important part in cultural learning. (REUTERS/Jason Lee)A woman walks inside the Peking Union Medical College Hospital on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year, in Beijing, China, February 7, 2016.

The Chinese calendar assigns each new year an animal per a rotating zodiac of 12: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

“It’s really inspiring”, says Shannon Brownlee, assistant professor in Film Studies at Dal, student in the Chinese Studies program and member of the Chinese Choir. Some families may invite a lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Chinese New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises.

In Beijing, tens of thousands of worshippers yesterday visited the ancient Taoist temple to commemorate the start of Year of the Monkey. The majority of people in China know New Year as The Spring Festival. On the Chinese opera stage, a painted red face usually denotes a sacred or loyal personage and sometimes a great emperor. But first, before the arrival of the new year, homes are thoroughly cleaned to sweep away ill fortune, and to welcome good luck. “It’s the most important festival for Chinese people”, Tan said “families join together and we have a feast to celebrate”.

Are you celebrating the Lunar New Year, HollywoodLifers? An award-winning producer and television host, People Magazine once dubbed her “the most famous woman in China”.

The Lunar New Year also has its own film genre called “hesuipian”, which are generally uplifting comedies focused on families with happy endings.

Based on Chinese calendar, 2016 is the Year of the Monkey and fire is the dominant element to the other elements of wood, metal, water and earth.