Chinese New Year is a holiday celebrated by millions worldwide and despite its name, anyone can participate. This year, the New Year begins Friday, Feb. 16 and is the Year of the Dog.

Though most of the international community uses the Gregorian calendar for trading purposes and travel, many holidays still follow lunar and solar calendars, including the Chinese New Year, Ramadan, and even Easter. This causes each holiday to begin on different dates each year, however, the Chinese New Year most often falls between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20.

The origins of the Chinese New Year vary, but the most common legend is that a monster named Nian (“year”) would attack villagers in the beginning of the new year after there was no more food on the mountains. The villagers learned that the monster was afraid of the color red, loud noise, and brights light or fire and they were able to prevent the monster from coming back again.

In modern times, people celebrate with fireworks and noisemakers to both celebrate the New Year and to drive evil away. Traditional dances including the Dragon and Lion dance are also a common sight, with several performers controlling the movements from underneath the frame.

Coincidentally, red is also a symbol of luck in Chinese culture, and many decorations feature this important color. One tradition is that money is often given in red envelopes to family and friends in a symbolic gesture of prosperity and happiness.

The Chinese New Year also gives a second chance to fulfill a broken New Year’s resolution. Now maybe the perfect time to finally start working out, after all, that has been on the broken promises list since the Year of the Rat.Morgan Page