Chinese New Year Festival 2010 - Year of the Tiger

The Chinese New Year Festival 2010 which this year fell on Valentines Day, the traditional day for lovers, ushered in the Year of the Tiger. The Year of the Tiger promises to be a difficult year for many but in Thailand at least, all worries were put aside as the Chinese and Thai people painted the country red as they celebrated the Lunar New Year in style, in spite of requests from certain officials for the Chinese to abandon their traditional colour of red this year because of the political overtones of the colour red, suggesting that the people should change to pink.

This may be the Year of the Tiger but it was the Lion and the Dragon that took centre stage during the New Year Festivities as the Chinese paraded through cities all over Thailand. With firework displays, competitions, dancing and displays of Martial Arts, the celebrations continued late on into the night. Our photographs were taken in China Town, Chiang Mai.