Celebrated Chinese New Year and the Year of the Ram at West Edmonton Mall. This two-day event featured a marketplace plus a showcase of Chinese performers. The Edmonton Chinatown Multicultural Centre also celebrating 30 years in Edmonton and hosted the annual celebration and festival as a way to increase understanding and promote an appreciation of Chinese culture.

credit: IQRemix

Chinese New Year begins according to the Chinese calendar which consists of both Gregorian and lunar-solar calendar systems. Because the track of the new moon changes from year to year, Chinese New Year can begin anytime between late January and mid-February. The Lunar New Year is the biggest and the most significant celebration in China being observed worldwide by the Chinese. Each year in the Chinese calendar has a corresponding zodiac animal, and today marks the turnover from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse.

credit: PreciousBytes