Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year Of The Monkey

Gong Xi Fa Cai to all my Chinese friends. May the year of the monkey be as auspicious as you desire.

The Chinese new year is sometimes known as the Spring festival and takes place at the beginning of the lunar year.

This time of year sees a migration of millions of people across Asia returning to their homes towns to celebrate with their families.

Cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur become ghost towns as the mass exodus ensues.

Driving around KL becomes a pleasure without the usual jams but with this comes a change in atmosphere and KL appears more soulless without the missing millions.

Since moving to KL from Penang I can really see the difference in the way it is celebrated, Penang becomes alive at this time of year with colour, music, parades and oranges.

Oranges or Tangerines signify gold, luck and prosperity and is considered auspicious for Chinese new year gatherings.

Another thing I miss about Penang is the lion dances because they just don't seem to occur as regularly in KL as I was used to in Penang.

The collage of icons that make up the shape of the monkey were all from the public domain.

Article By: Michael Joseph Farrelly