With most of our New Year's resolutions already disappearing into the bottom of a packet of Jaffa Cakes there's still another chance to start again with the celebration of the Chinese New Year on January 22nd.

For the Chinese how you begin the year predicts the way the rest of the year will be.

Chinese people eat 'lucky' food, wear 'lucky' red clothes and clean their houses from top to bottom to get rid of any bad luck before the new year. But, cabbage eating dragons aside, do they?

"There are 15 days of celebration which start from the 22nd of January"

We decided to catch up with Jess Chow to find out exactly how the Chinese New Year is celebrated...

"Nothing is bigger than the New Year," says Jess "it's like you have the 1st of January.

"There are 15 days of celebration which start from the 22nd of January. And every day there is a different celebration."

"The lion goes to every household to check for things to eat"

"On the second to last day, on the 20th of January, we clean the house, and those things we don't need like rubbish we tow away so that everything is new for the New Year."

"The 21st of January is the last day of the year and the first day of the celebration. That's when the lion goes to every household to check for things to eat and fire crackers are thrown at it to ask it to go away.

"It is also the day for a kind of a get together for the whole family. We have a very special dinner and eat Nian gao, which is very sweet and only eaten at new year. It's my favourite part of the celebration. We have plenty of food we have chicken, seafood everything."

"Nian gao, which is very sweet and only eaten at new year"

"After the dinner we wait for the countdown to New Year and have fireworks.

"The next day, the first day of the new year, we usually wear red and not black and make ourselves look bright and neat so that we can get more luck. We also try to be vegetarian and try not to eat meat.

"The Good luck posters have Chinese words which wish you to make progress in your study"

"We also give red packets with money in them. It's very exciting especially the red packets. It's not for the money it's for the luck. There might only be a penny inside but the tradition is for those older in age to give you their luck. They have got to that age and have been so many things so we wish to have their luck for us to go on with."

Red strips of paper with positive messages like 'peace' and 'happiness' are hung above doors and many Chinese also try their hands at gambling to test the luck of the new year:

"The Good luck posters have Chinese words which wish you to have more money," says Jess "and for everything on your mind to be successful.

"With gambling I never gamble really but I think everybody does but not me.

"Next year is the year of the Monkey. The monkey is better than this year's ram. We have 12 animals to rotate and next year the monkey is very good."

"Flowers, something like the Cherry Blossom in Japan. It's lucky for unmarried person."

Add more to this story

Jessi
hey!! how cool im a monkey too! who says "wicked" and "cool" anymore? how dumb! anyway......

nina
wow i'd love 2 go 2 china sounds great have a good new year everyone!

c.m.c
chinaz a rad country..i wanna go there someday

amy and charles
wicked!!

dan b
cool!!!

ashley smith
wiked cool

jodie
china is wicked

unknown
CHINA RULES

Tia
China is great because it has great religions, food, and good shops along wiht the fantastic laungage China has!

Shaun
china rules

TAHNEE
CHINA RULES

bob
the food is really nice

jasmia
The food they eat sounds good but looks grose

Candice
Do they only eat nian gao for the new year? the pictures were cool too!

mikey
they really don't eat nian gao is not only eaten on new year it is a delacasy for rich children like my self

Laurie Untalan
I want to have a red roll paper for luck. I am born in the year of the monkey. Is this year is my lucky year?

Amelia
How do i find out what i am e.g monkey,ram

Terilyn
We have red at Chinese New Year because their is a monster that is scared of red and red is lucky.

ninay
good thanks

Danielle
The flower is very pretty it is my favorite

matthew
this is cool

JACOB
THATS COOL

Nicole Moser
great pictures

Aaron
Have a happy New Year! P.S. what animal was represented in1984 and 1985?

Lucy Brooks
The Ram rules! Don't diss it!

Pablo
I think this year is cool because I'm a monkey

Nilotpal
Excellent

nerisa irene
it's wonderful

Xuhui Li
Nice article. One correction: the good lcuk poster should be put vertical instead of horizontal. And the meaning of that poster is "Making progress in your study".