The Chinese New year is celebrated on the first day of the First Moon of the lunar calendar. The corresponding date in the solar calendar varies from as early as January 21st to as late as February 19th. Chinese New Year, as the Western New Year, signified turning over a new leaf. Socially, it was a time for family reunions, and for visiting friends and relatives. This holiday, more than any other Chinese holiday, stressed the importance of family ties. The Chinese New year's Eve dinner gathering was among the most important family occasions of the year.
2008 is the year of the Rat 
taking over from the year of the Golden Boar.
I was born in the year of the goat. Goat people are supposed to be elegant, charming, artistic, gifted and fond of nature. I suppose two out of five isn't too bad!!! you work out which two.
The Chinese in London celebrate the New Year with a festival and parade in the center of the city around Tralfaga Square and Leicester Square. A parade of dragon and lion dancers starts in the Strand goes along Charing Cross road and Shaftesbury Auenue. Performers come from London and China. Fireworks, performers cultural stands and food are on offer.
The History of London's Chinatown.
The first incarnation of Chinatown appeared in the Limehouse district of East London in the late 19th century and lasted until the early 20th century. The first inhabitants of the fledgling Chinatown mostly comprised of seamen of who for various reasons had stayed on in Britain. Some of them had been made redundant and therefore had no option but to stay whilst some had purposefully avoided their next voyage. The presence of this community had a mushrooming effect in which other small enterprises such as Chinese shops and cafes sprang up. During this time the Chinese proved their organisational power by recognising the need to work as one to improve their living standards and help their community. They did this by founding the “Ching Yee” trade union. This was a skill they would harness to help them achieve considerable successes over the years.
Many began to run businesses in Limehouse, several of which were laundries, and by 1914 there were around 30 operating in the area. However these achievements were thwarted by events which posed a very real threat to their continued existence in London. The post war years in Britain led to the eventual decline of the first Chinatown in London. The destruction of Limehouse during the Blitz; the dwindling British shipping industry; and the advent of high street launderettes saw a migration of the Chinese out of the East End.
By 1950 there were approximately 2000 Chinese in Britain. Whilst some had moved to Liverpool, others remained in the capital where they sought new opportunities. Luckily this dismal picture changed with the return of the British soldiers from the Far East. They brought back with them a broadened palate eager to taste more of the Chinese cuisine they had encountered. At the time there were only two or three restaurants in the West End and many Chinese saw the opportunity to move into the area and capitalise on this emerging market. This marked the beginning of the second phase of the Chinese presence in London and the foundations were laid for modern day Chinatown.
This has a knock on effect and lured by the cheap rents and short leases in and around Gerrard Street other Chinese trades began to prosper. The reason for the low cost rents was the seedy reputation of Soho. Where there had once been genteel inhabitants living in elegant houses there were now brothels and sex shops. The developments in the wake of the Great Fire had lent grandeur to the locality but, this early splendour had not lasted and, by the mid 18th century the area was rundown. Instead it became home for different immigrant populations, each one taking over from the next. The first were the French Huguenots, the Italians, the Jews and then the Chinese.
As the wives and children of the Chinese workers moved to Britain the community in the area grew larger and, the presence of this new phenomenon around Gerrard Street was noticed. By 1961 over 2000 ex-residents of the New Territories arrived in the UK to work in the booming restaurant trade. A Daily Telegraph article in 1970, titled “The Strange Community of Gerrard Street” highlighted the growing interest in early Chinatown. One of the first paragraphs talks about this rapid growth from solely restaurants to a populace who are serviced by, ‘Chinese barbers, Chinese beauty parlours, Chinese mini-cabs, accountants, bookshops and libraries, supermarkets, travel agents, gambling clubs and even a chamber of trade’.
The article highlighted the tremendous ability the Chinese displayed in making the area their own. Whilst the article states that many of the Chinese encountered were unable to speak any English, the community as a whole were running successful businesses and simultaneously improving the area. The most interesting question the article posed was how the second generation of Chinese would assimilate with British society whilst maintaining their own culture. The introduction of schools to teach children their mother tongue helped in maintaining links to their homeland. London clubs were hired in the early seventies onwards with Chinese films playing to packed audiences. One businessman set up a small cinema on Wardour Street showing movies from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Projecting rooms were rented showing movies obtained free of charge from the Chinese Embassy. Eventually the Odeon and Empire cinemas in Leicester Square were rented out at weekends showing Chinese movies starting at 1am! These and other social groups and events all helped to sustain ties to China.
As the population of Chinatown grew, so did the need for greater co-operation to facilitate the needs and wants of the community. On 2nd August 1978, the London Chinese Chinatown Association (LCCA) was born. It forged stronger links with the City Council, Police and the community outside of Soho. The following year the Chinese Community Centre was opened which provided a translation and interpreter services. The centre was a popular place for gatherings and social events. It also gave the older residents of Chinatown a place to meet and connect with their peer group. This type of community spirit helped to foster the unique character of Chinatown and as a piece in the Evening Standard of 1972 asserted, ‘increasing numbers of tourists come to see a fascinating corner of cosmopolitan London’.
In the 60’s and 70’s many Chinese also realised this uniqueness by giving it the nickname of “The Imperial City”. This name alluded to the fact that unlike Chinatowns in other parts of the world, London’s Chinatown was in a central location in the heart of the capital city.
From the mid eighties, in recognition of the area’s significance, Westminster City Council began a series of initiatives to improve the area. In 1984, collaboration between the then Greater London Council, Westminster, and the local Chinese community resulted in the restoration of Lisle Street’s 18th century shop fronts.
In 1985, the first organised Chinese New Year took place, and by the end of the 80s, Gerrard Street, parts of Newport Place and Macclesfield Street become pedestrianised. Chinese gates, street furniture and a Chinese pagoda were erected. The pagoda, the gates and the stone lions in Gerrard Street become known as the “Three sights of Chinatown”.
In 2002, the Chinese New Year celebrations expanded to include Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square. The multi-stakeholder commitment to Chinatown has kept its momentum with the consultation and implementation of the Chinatown Action Plan in 2003. In November 2004, the Chinatown Action Plan Steering Group, made up of LCCA, MET, Shaftesbury Plc and the City Council wer nominated for an award as Community Initiative of the Year.
I'm sorry, I admit it, I palgiarized this from the web site. Well if todays kids can do it for their GCSE..............
If there is to be peace in the world, the nations must live in peace.
If there is to be peace amongst nations, the cities must not rise up against each other.
If there is to be peace in the cities, neighbours must understand each other.
If there is to be peace amongst neighbours, there must be harmony in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home, we must each find our own heart.
Lao Tsu, China 6th century BC.
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