Dragons of the world unite, this is your year - it's official.

The Chinese new year - the year of the dragon - begins on 5 February.

The date is based on the start of the lunar calendar but the celebrations traditionally last for 15 days.

At least 250,000 people of Chinese origin live in the UK and several British cities with large Chinese communities - London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle - saw public celebrations on Sunday.

In London's Chinatown the fun started with the deafening thunder of traditional firecrackers.

Various artistes from Beijing are performing in a variety show and there are also be displays of lion dancing from a Malaysian Chinese group and kung fu by monks from the Shao Lin temple.

Manchester's celebrations brought music to revellers' ears, with performances by the European karaoke champions, a Chinese opera group and a Cantonese pop singer.

The highlight of the celebrations in Liverpool was fireworks and the visit of the Chinese god of wealth.

The Chinese community in the UK will have started preparing for this weekend when the rest of us were coming round from our millennium hangovers.

Vicky Liew, secretary of the Gloucestershire Chinese Community Group, says presents are traditionally exchanged and homes, restaurants and offices decorated with red lanterns and banners.

Ward off evil

She told BBC News Online many Chinese people would have been sprucing up their homes in readiness for the big day.

The cleaning is not just meant to make the place look good, it is also designed to sweep away any bad luck left over from the previous year (the year of the rabbit).

Red is the traditional colour of the new year - it is meant to ward off evil spirits - and many people choose it to repaint their homes. They often wear red clothes as well.

Mrs Liew said: "The New Year's Eve feast is usually seafood, dumplings, duck, chicken, pork. But on New Year's Day people do not eat any meat at all, that is traditional."

She said: "In China and Hong Kong there are usually three or four days' official holiday but in England things are different and, for people who own restaurants it is the busiest time of year."

One ancient new year custom is Hong Bao, or Red Packet, which involves married couples giving children and unmarried friends and relatives money in red envelopes.

Presents are handed over with the traditional greeting: "Gung hay fat choy (happy new year)."

The end of the new year is marked by the Festival of Lanterns, a singing and dancing celebration.

Lucky boys

Mrs Liew said many Chinese people - especially the older generation - were very superstituous.

She said the dragon was the most auspicious sign of the Chinese calendar.

Dragons are reputedly feisty, natural leaders blessed with good luck. Boy dragons are especially blessed.

Such is the auspiciousness of the sign, said Mrs Liew, that many Chinese parents try to organise their conception dates in order to have a little dragon.

Mrs Liew says the majority of British Chinese hail from Hong Kong and many will have flown "home" to celebrate with their extended families.

For those staying in the UK, she said there were rules to follow.

"You have to be happy, jolly and polite for 15 days after New Year's Day. Then there is another feast at the end of that period, and it is back to normal," she said.