The Chinese New Year of the Sheep/Goat begins on Thursday 19 February – it’s a time for happy reunions and colourful traditions. Chinese people across the world celebrate their traditional new year festivities with entertaining dragon dances, lantern festivals, lavish firework displays, feasting and more.

Food plays a very important part in Chinese New Year celebrations. Traditionally, the New Year’s Eve meal is known as the ‘reunion dinner’ and fish, dumplings, spring rolls and sweet rice balls are served up for their lucky symbolic meanings, as well as their delicious flavours.

Would you like to impress your friends at the dinner party table? Why not try our Chinese New Year recipe or if cooking isn’t for you Red Letter Days offers a great selection of cookery classes especially for Chinese cuisine lovers. Learn different aspects of steaming, deep frying and the art of Dim Sum with our Authentic Chinese Flavours cookery class. We also recommend our hands-on Flavours of China Cookery Class which even includes a fantastic food tour of Chinatown.

The Chinese calendar follows a twelve year cycle with each year named after an animal. 2015 is the year of the sheep (or goat) and people born under this sign are said to be honest, sympathetic and good-natured. If you were born in the year of the goat, how about expressing your creativity to learn new skills with an Organic Chocolate Making and beginners silver jewellery class workshops – chosen specially for you.

The Chinese say that wearing red brings prosperity, happiness and success. It’s our favourite colour too!

Are you ready for the year of the goat/sheep?

IMAGES FROM POCKET SCIENTISTS,  LANE TURNER, NEEU AND Fumiko Kawa VIA GOOGLE SEARCH ENGINE.