Chinese New Year falls in January or February and follows the lunar calendar. Each year is named after one of twelve animals - the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. The celebrations last for fifteen days, ending with the Lantern Festival.
In Mauritius, the celebrations are lively and very public. Dragon and lion dances - with long, colourful dragon costumes carried by teams of dancers - wind through the streets of Port Louis and other towns. The dragons are meant to bring good luck, and the noise of drums and firecrackers is believed to drive away bad fortune.
Red envelopes called 'ang pow' or 'hong bao' are given to children and younger family members, containing a small gift of money as a symbol of good luck for the coming year. Special foods are eaten too - dumplings, noodles and sticky rice cakes, each carrying their own symbol of luck, long life or togetherness.