Preparation for Chinese New Year

A morning market scene in Kuala Lumpur
There is a frenzy of activities as the Chinese community goes about getting ready for the most celebrated Chinese festival of the year. Following is a short video among a series of videos from The Star on activities leading up to the festival here in Malaysia.

Among the videos is one advising people to shop early before prices escalate approaching the festival. Another shows the types of decorations available for the home and office - lanterns, auspicious symbolic plants, flowers and so forth. .

No, there are no carnivals here in Malaysia, so no throwing knives acts, strongman gigs nor performers on stilts though these were the order of the day way back in China.