WITH A LITTLE over two weeks of 2007 already gone it will shortly be time to welcome in the Chinese New Year in Southampton with the spectacular celebrations the city has become accustomed to.

In order to mark the Chinese New Year celebration in the city, the Chinese Association of Southampton, supported by Southampton City Council and the Waterside Dragon Dance Club is once again organising a dragon dance and parade on the New Year Day , which is Sunday February 18, 2007.

The event will officially start at 11.00am at the Civic Centre with the Mayor of Southampton performing the traditional ceremony of 'dim jing', which involves the painting of the eye of the dragon. This is a symbolic of giving a life to the dragon.

This will be followed by the dragon dance, unicorn dance, lion dance and martial arts display. Following the ceremony, the dragon will parade through the City Centre stopping at various Chinese restaurants on the way eventually finishing at the Grosvenor Casino.

The Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival in China, and it is the most important Chinese Festival for Chinese people in China as well as for overseas Chinese.

The festival normally lasts for around 15 days, starting on New Year's Day, which is the first Day of the Chinese calendar and ends with the Lantern Festival, on the fifteenth day of the festival.

According to the Chinese Zodiac this year will be the year of the pig. Anyone who is born in the year of the pig is usually an honest, straightforward and patient person and are most admired by others.

They are a modest, shy character who prefers to work quietly behind the scenes. When others despair, they are often there to offer support. It is easy to put trust in someone born under this sign; they won't let you down and will never even attempt to do so. Such people simply want to do everything right according to social norms.

The celebrations for the annual Chinese New Year are free and open to everyone.