And with the success of the recent Beijing summer Olympics, interest in Chinese culture and pride amongst Chinese people is running high, giving them extra reason to celebrate.

“The Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre welcomes the public to join us to celebrate this colourful festival full of traditions and cultures,” says Samantha Yang, executive administrator for the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre. “Traditionally, Chinese New Year is the time for family reunion and to visit friends and relatives to reinforce the family ties and friendships.

“There are also many traditions and cultures behind the Chinese New Year that are worth cherishing, celebrating and studying,” says Yang.

This year’s celebrations are to usher in the Year of the Ox, the second sign in the Chinese zodiac’s 12-year cycle. While our calendar considers this year as 2009, in the Chinese calendar, January 26 will actually be the beginning of the year 4707. Traditional Chinese culture believes the sign you are born under has a great deal to do with shaping your personality. People born under the ox sign are said to be dependable, methodical, hardworking and steady, but also stubborn and narrow-minded. The Chinese Zodiac is based on the lunar cycle, so the first day of the New Year can fall on different calendar dates, depending on what day the new moon falls on.

A variety of demonstrations and performances, as well as an indoor bazaar, all will be held at the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre (197 1 Street S.W.). The most popular event by far is the exhilarating Dragon and Lion Dance, to be performed outdoors at the entrance of the Cultural Centre at 1 p.m. on Sunday January 25. The dance has traditionally been a key part of Chinese New Year celebrations, and involves teams of dancers who carry the dragon and lion, mimicking the animals’ movements and performing acrobatic feats accompanied by drums and cymbals. The dragon is believed to bring good luck, while the lion is considered to be a guardian figure. The dance is performed to bring good fortune and success to all people over the course of the year, and is a can’t-miss event.

“From primitive times people have regarded the dragon as an auspicious creature with the power to bless and influence their lives,” Yang says. “The most vibrant and spectacular way of expressing fondness for the dragon is the dragon dance.”

Visitors can also expect to see traditional Chinese folk dances performed to live music, and martial arts displays by various local groups. These will be indoors, where there are stages set up at each end of the bazaar. Expect to see both traditional and modern interpretations of Chinese culture, as well as dazzling feats of strength and flexibility. The Taoist Tai Chi Society of Canada will be demonstrating their graceful art, and there will be sword and sabre demonstrations from the Yu Feng Chinese School.

At the bazaar, attendees will find foods traditional to the annual celebrations, as well as flowers, items and gifts related to the occasion, such as the red envelopes traditionally filled with money and exchanged amongst family members. The colour red is commonly associated with the Chinese New Year because it is believed to scare away evil spirits, and many people will wear red and decorate their homes with it. There will also be calligraphy demonstrations, face painting for children, a booth to have your photo taken in Chinese costumes and a chance to meet the God of Fortune and win prizes.

Most Chinese restaurants in Chinatown and across the city celebrate as well, with special menu items and decorations for an authentic experience. If this is how you choose to partake in the holiday, spring rolls, lettuce wraps, sticky rice cakes, dumplings and tangerines are all traditional foods which hold significance to the New Year. Various Chinese beverages are available in the city, the most common being Tsingtao beer, but Chinese wines have also come on to the Calgary market recently and are perfect to round off your New Year’s feast.

Yang says the Chinese New Year celebrations, which the Cultural Centre have hosted for 17 years, are an excellent opportunity for people of other ancestries to introduce themselves or their children to Chinese culture. All of the events are designed to appeal to people of all ages, and children and adults alike will no doubt find these colourful and exciting festivities from a land halfway around the world to be fascinating.