5th Day of Chinese New Year 2017 -Year of the Rooster

The night is still young, so they say, as today is just the 5th Day of the Chinese Lunar Year. We still have 10 more days of merry-making - of lo sang at dinners, of wining, of collecting/giving ang pows, of meeting up with friends and family, of card games and mahjong sessions, of visiting relatives near and far, and of just about everything else synonymous with this celebration of welcoming the new year.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful time, those of you who are celebrating this most important festival in the Chinese calendar.

Today is February 1. It is a public holiday for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan which means offices and government departments in these three FTs are closed which allows for an additional day for festivities of the new lunar year.

Streets of Kuala Lumpur are still not as congested as usual but at the malls it's a different story. People come from near and far (even as far away as from Penang) to KL to check out the malls to take in the elaborate decorations put up. A great place for selfies and wefies, no doubt.


Today, let's take a look at how Chinese New Year is celebrated in some other cities around the world. By the way, did you know that there are an estimated 50 million Overseas Chinese?. This is the number indicated by Wikipedia for the year 2012. Thailand has the highest number at close to 9.4 million. Malaysia comes in second at more than 6.6 million and next is United States at about 5 million.

In Yokohama, Japan: A Chinese lion dance troupe performs at a park in Chinatown to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The dragon dance performance in a street parade to mark the Lunar New Year celebrations of the Year of the Rooster in Hong Kong on January 28, 2017. - AFP

The Chinese dragon performance during the first Lunar New Year celebrations in Lumpini Park in Bangkok on January 28, 2017. The Lunar New Year marks the start of the Year of the Rooster. - AFP

Participants dressed up as roosters hold Spanish flags as they perform during celebrations for the Chinese Lunar New Year, marking the year of the Rooster, in Madrid's district of Usera on January 28, 2017. - AFP

Members of the Chinese community perform on stage during the celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year on January 28, 2017 in Rome. This Lunar New Year marks the start of the Year of the Rooster. - AFP

Children perform a lion dance using cardboard boxes on a street in Manila's Chinatown on January 28, 2017. - AFP

Yangon, Myanmar: A fire breather blows flames as a troupe performs a traditional dragon dance during the first day of Chinese Lunar New Year

In Kuala Lumpur - A Lion dance troupe performing at the MCA Chinese New Year Open House at Wisma MCA in Jalan Ampang.

Children gathered around the lion dance troupe at the MCA Chinese New Year Open House at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur, on Thursday.  - AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

Again..

Image source: The Star