The Year of the Sheep - the first day of the Chinese New Year - begins later this week on February 19th. In China, the celebrations are known as the Spring Festival, a 15-day-long observance that includes feasts, family reunions, the conspicuous use of the colour red and culminates on the final day with a lantern festival.
The Chinese new year is rich with traditions, one of which is to associate each new year with a specific animal. There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, and trends for the coming year are predicted to align with the traits of that year's animal.
