It happens to us all.

You go into the New Year with a positive attitude and a changed mindset to make this year better than the one before and then uh oh. January sucks. 

Let’s be real. January is kinda awful. It’s dark and cold, nothing is really going on, and everyone is exhausted from celebrating the holidays and going right back into work. Kinda a bad way to start the year off right?

Well if you have had an unlucky year and just wish you could go back to turn the clock around and have a fresh start, you can! 

But how? Lunar New Year.

The countdown is officially on, less than a week to Lunar New Year. So what is Lunar New Year? You may also know it as Chinese New Year, a calendar that is based on the cycle of the moon which is part of the Chinese Zodiac tradition.

Every year is represented by a different animal. The animals are believed to influence the personality and how the year will go born in that year with the animal chosen. This year is the year of the snake. The snake is the 6th animal in the 12 year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac. People born in the year of the snake are said to be wise, mysterious, and intelligent. Other snake years are 1929, 1941, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025 babies will join in on the year of the snake. 

If your looking to celebrate the Chinese New Year there is a bunch of events happening in Vancouver:

UBC Botanical Garden 

The UBC garden will be celebrating the year of the snake and invite all to join in on experiencing and learning about Chinese Lunar year culture. 

Chinatown Parade

On February 2nd there will be the Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Celebration parade starting at 11am!

scootercooks/instagram

Lunar New Year Museum 

The Museum of Surrey will be hosting a Lunar New Year event on February 8th from 1-4 showcasing culture and beautiful artwork. 

So if your year didn’t start out quite as you wanted it to – it’s not too late for a fresh start. Cheers to new beginnings!