Google Celebrates Chinese New Year 2014: See the Doodle Galloping Horse
In celebration of the 2014 Chinese New Year, Goggle marks the start of the Chinese Year of the Horse with a Google doodle on its search page. Jan. 31, 2013 is the day where every Chinese in the world celebrates the Year of the Wooden Horse which is known to bring wealth and prosperity.
This year Google features a doodle image of a girl on a rocking horse, and next to her is a little boy holding fire crackers and Chinese lanterns ahead of the festivities. Known as the Lunar New Year, the 2014 Chinese New Year is one of the most important celebration in the Chinese calendar.
Traditionally called as Spring Festival, the New Year celebrates the start of the season of ploughing and sowing and marks the arrival of new life. For the year 2014, the festival will start on the first day of the lunar month and would be today, Friday, Jan. 31.
The Chinese New Year celebration will continue until the 15th of February, when the moon is on its brightest. This year's festivities will signal the end of the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese lunar calendar as it features 12 animals and each represent a year of the lunisolar cycle.
According to different scholars the Chinese calendar dates back from the third millennium BC. Since the calendar does not use numbered year, some scholars have different opinions for the Year of the Horse and his year is 4651, 4711 or 4712.
In China, the celebration of the New Year may vary from every family but mostly this is the time of the year where family gather around together. Traditions such as cleaning the house, putting red decoration, wearing red dresses and gifts given in red envelopes are widely practiced.
In London, the Chinese New Year marks the lighting of the London Eye to red but the main celebration is scheduled to take place on Feb, 2. A parade on Sunday will begin at 10 A.M. and will pass along Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue before going to Chinatown.
There are a dozen of activities all lined for the Chinese New Year festivities. Some will take place in Trafalgar Square and all day celebration in Chinatown.