Lunar New Year: Year of the Dragon - what you need to know

Millions of people are celebrating Lunar New Year this February.

It is one of the biggest events of the year for many East and South East Asian people and is marked by communities all over the world.

Families and friends get together to eat lots of yummy food, enjoy fireworks, and wear special clothes to mark the occasion.

Find out more about Lunar New Year below!

In 2024 the Lunar New Year started on Saturday 10 February.

The celebrations always begin the evening before, and last for 15 days.

The exact date of the Lunar New Year changes each year as it is linked to the start of a new moon.

This is different to the 'Gregorian' calendar that we traditionally use in the UK, which starts on 1 January.

Each year the date of Lunar New Year falls some time between 21 January and 20 February, on the date of the first new moon.

In Chinese tradition, each year is represented by one of 12 different animals, which feature in the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

Each animal has a year dedicated to them once every 12 years, in a cycle and this year marks the change from the year of the Rabbit to the year of the Dragon.

There are some differences in the zodiac animals across different countries, for example in Vietnam, they celebrate the Year of the Cat instead of Rabbit and in Japan it's a boar instead of a pig.

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Millions of people usually travel in the lead up to the new year to spend time with family or friends and different communities have traditions that they celebrate.

Before the festivities begin, one tradition is to clean your house really well to get rid of any bad luck, and get them ready for the celebrations.

Then, when New Year arrives, there is a tradition not to pick up a broom, in case you sweep the good luck out of the door!

In some countries, like China, schools and businesses can close for the first few days of the new year, so that everyone can spend time with their families.

People enjoy eating lots of delicious food during Lunar New Year, including dishes such as noodles, hot pot, dumplings, Nian gao (new year rice cake) or radish cake, fish and tangerines, which traditionally bring luck for the year ahead.

During Lunar New Year there are often parades and performances, with people dressing in traditional clothes, and performing traditional dances, like Lion dancing.

Fireworks are also set off, because it is thought that noise and lights will scare away any evil spirits for the coming months.

The festivities continue for two weeks, and can finish with a special lantern festival to end the celebration period.