Year of Rabbit: Chinese nationals celebrate new year in Bengal's Chinatown

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 22 (ANI): The Chinese community and citizens in Kolkata's Tangra of West Bengal are all set and ready to celebrate another new year in China Town.
Talking to ANI, Incharge of the Chinese Kali Temple in China Town, Chen Yie Sheng spoke about the preparations for the festival and said that the streets of Chinatown would remain decorated with red and yellow lights.

Chinatown is located in the east of Kolkata and is home to many Chinese cuisines. It was once the hub of the best Chinese leather products in eastern India.

"On Chinese New Year's Eve, the streets are decorated with red and yellow lights and 'Happy New Year' is written on the huge red coloured banners, which hangs-in between the buildings," Chen Yie Sheng said adding that a lion dancer would also move down the street outside the temple in Tangra.
Every year, a cultural evening is organized to celebrate the Chinese New Year in India.

"We are really happy and excited as it is the first time that the festival has been organised after two years of Covid-19. We are spreading the love here," Kay C from Sweden said, adding that people from different parts of the world attend the festival.
The festival is one of the most important holidays as it is celebrated with great enthusiasm in across Asia.

Notbaly, the day and date of Chinese New Year are not fixed because the day is celebrated in accordance with the lunar calendar and falls between January 21 and February 20.
On the occasion, people use fireworks to fight against a monster named Nian, who would arrive on New Year's eve to eat people and their livestock. As per the belief, people use fireworks to call off this monster and hence it is a tradition being followed ever since.
It is pertinent to mention that each Chinese new year has a zodiac sign, this year, 2023 is the Year of Rabbit for the Chinese. (ANI)