Chinese New Year: What is it and how will you be celebrating?

Chinese New Year celebrations have already begun, with millions of people marking the start of a new lunar year.

The Spring Festival is the most important in the Chinese calendar and begins on 12 February, the start of a new moon.

The festival lasts for up to 16 days. People will eat lots of food, enjoy fireworks, wear special clothes and hang red lanterns to mark the occasion.

This year marks the change from the Year of the Rat to the Year of the Ox.

Usually families will travel great distances in the lead up to the new year as they go to spend time with family, but this year will be like no other.

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"It's a very special time of year, a bit like Christmas"

Zack and Leo always celebrate Chinese New Year in a big way. It's a time for families to come together and enjoy a week of celebrations.

Light shows are popular in China to celebrate the start of a new lunar year

"Each year we'll put up decorations, cook and eat delicious food," says Leo "and we'll enjoy lots of parades and fireworks..."

"But this year will be unlike any other year we've spent before," Zack says.

For them it's all about spending time with the family. But lockdown has put a stop to their normal festivities.

People visit a lantern show to mark the upcoming Chinese New Year, the Year of the Ox, on February 10, 2021 in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province of China.

"Usually we'll cook traditional meals and our extended family will come together."

For Zack and Leo that often means travelling to China to see their grandparents, where they'll get to enjoy huge gatherings, light shows and fireworks on a grand scale.

Zack and Leo usually travel to China to see their grandparents and celebrate the start of the Spring Festival. But not this year.

"Don't let lockdown spoil your celebrations"

Despite not being able to celebrate quite how they would normally, the two brothers insist that there's still plenty to look forward to.

"We're going to do lots of video calls instead," they said. "Plus lots of cooking and lots of crafts... so don't let lockdown spoil your celebrations."

Why not get involved with some traditional dumpling-making? Zack and Leo have got all you need to know.

The importance of dumplings in Chinese culture

"One of our favourite foods during the festival season is dumplings," says Leo.

"They are more than pieces of dough with a filling though... Chinese dumplings are visible, tasty signs of the Chinese culture."

Zack adds; "The crescent shaped dumplings served during 新年 - Xin nian, Lunar New Year, symbolize the brightness of the moon and the promise of a bright and great year ahead."

"Of course, a big get together means a lot of food. Normally, several cooks from different parts of the family join up to make the dough, prepare the fillings, wrap them up and cook them. It's a time to catch up and spend time together."

But with lockdown stopping family get together's things will be a lot different for the Year of the Ox. What will you be doing? Let us know.