Monkey magic for new year

10:07am Thursday 22nd January 2004

FIREWORKS and lion dances will be the order of the day when hundreds of people turn out to celebrate the Chinese New Year and mark the year of the monkey.

Joseph Poon, the chairman of the Bucks Chinese Association, said: "The monkey is very clever and a very quick learner. More importantly this year is going to be good but there will be some trouble this year. But we will have to learn very fast and be even-headed."

"The monkey has a temperament that can be very disruptive. We have to be logical and calm and it will turn out to be good."

The date of Chinese New Year is determined by the lunar/solar calendar rather than the western calendar, so the date of the holiday varies from late January to mid February.

Houses are thoroughly cleaned, debts repaid, hair cut and new clothes bought.

London celebrates the start of the Chinese Year of the Monkey on Sunday 25 January 2004, with a programme of events spanning Leicester Square, Chinatown and the newly renovated Trafalgar Square.
To find out more about this spectacular event visit http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/chinese_ny/index.jsp