Chinese New Year is coming. Also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, this is the most important event of the traditional Chinese holidays.
photo by Luzal – Some rights reserved
This year, the lunisolar Chinese calendar determines that the Chinese New Year will start on Monday, January 23, 2012. This will be the year of the Dragon, as it was the case in 2000.
Chinese New Year, in addition to being the beginning of a new year, is a time not to be missed for photographers.
Everywhere in the world where Chinese communities exist, red lanterns and red spring scrolls will be hanged on windows and doors to fight against the Nian, a mythical beast that would come the first day of the New Year to devastate villages. Firecrackers are also used to frighten the beast, and today this legend is deeply rooted in the Chinese culture. To learn more on the Chinese New Year, read this article on Wikipedia.
So let’s celebrate this new year all around the world on Fotopedia. From Pekin to San Francisco, I’m sure there are festivals and parades in your city, or even some events in your Chinatown if you are in a big city.
Help us document this year’s celebration by publishing your photos in the Fotopedia article Chinese New Year. For the best shots, we may have a surprise.
If you have any question, please post your message in the comments of the article.