LAST night's banquet for Whanganui's Chinese families and friends began with special dumplings "to make the new year happy and sweet", Eileen Ng said.
She's the chairwoman of the Whanganui branch of the New Zealand-China Association, and also on its national executive.
She and her husband Raymond were preparing for the banquet yesterday at their Beijing Licensed Chinese Restaurant.
Chinese New Year is celebrated by millions around the world. It causes the world's biggest migration every year, because everyone wants to be with their family on their New Year's Eve. It is traditional to clean your house before the New Year, and to put up decorations and go shopping.
Whanganui has "a small and transient" Chinese population, with just 20 to 25 families that are members of the association.