CHINESE NEW YEAR 
                 
              

The most vibrant and colourful festival in the Chinese calendar is the Lunar New Year, when the whole of Chinatown is ablaze with lights from ceremonial red lanterns, and the streets are bedecked with traditional decorations mainly in red, the colour of good luck. The celebration starts with family reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, followed by open-house over the next few days. It is a time for forgiveness and for settling old debts. The festival lasts for 15 days and concludes with a big celebration call Chap Goh Mei.