Coinciding this year with Valentine’s Day, the start of the lunar New Year is a fantastic time to visit China. Thousands of Chinese expats are expected to head home to celebrate the passing of the year of the ox and start to the year of the tiger, and the holiday festivities are some of the liveliest in the Chinese calendar. Houses are spruced up and festooned with red paper decorations, red lanterns are strung from one side of the street to the other, and of course there are some fantastic firework displays to enjoy.

This major event in the Chinese zodiac will be celebrated throughout the world, but nothing can rival being in China itself on 14th February. Visitors can go to a temple and light incense, or tie a New Year wish to a “wishing tree”. It is also great fun to watch a traditional Chinese dragon dance and eat some of the special food available, including New Year dumplings or raw fish salad. If you feel like travelling to China then there is some great accommodation available in order to celebrate a happy New Year in the time-honoured way.