Celebrate the Year of the Rat in Macao

Looking for somewhere special to usher in the Year of the Rat? Macao has a host of celebratory activities planned, from parades to cultural performances from around the world

Like many Chinese cities, Macao is eagerly readying itself for Chinese New Year, the most momentous date of the year on the Chinese calendar, as the Year of the Rat is almost upon us. A time for friends and family to come together, this momentous holiday is celebrated with a host of much-loved rituals, including a family reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year and filling the house with flowers and auspicious mandarin orange or kumquat trees.

To welcome in the Year of the Rat, Macao will decorate the streets in grand festive fashion while many residents will post lucky red couplets to front doors to bring good luck. Other centuryold traditions include cleaning the house from top to bottom to welcome in the new year and visiting the city’s temples to pray for good luck and prosperity.

In 2020, the first day of the Year of the Rat, or Lunar New Year’s Day, will fall early this year, on 25 January. To celebrate the most

important festival on the calendar, Macao will host a dragon and lion parade on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Before the festivities begin, locals and tourists alike can stock up on special Chinese New Year goodies at the Lunar New Year Market held at Tap Seac Square and Iao Hon Market Garden, which is decked out with beautiful Chinese New Year decorations and festive displays. There’s also the chance to pick out some fragrant blooms – plum blossom for courage and water narcissus for good luck – and shop for festive snacks, decorations and gifts at the Macao Flower Market.

One of Macao’s signature festivities for Chinese New Year, the 2020 parade will feature the usual dazzling array of illuminated floats. Local and overseas performing groups, and a group from Marchas Populares de Lisboa – Festas da Cidade de Lisboa 2019, will be among those entertaining the Chinese New Year revellers, with 19 parade floats spectacularly ushering in the Lunar New Year. Another highlight of the Chinese New Year celebrations in Macao will be the firework display in front of the Macao Tower on the 27 January, which will take place at the end of the parade as a dazzling grand finale.

Celebrate the Year of the Rat in style with a trip to Macao this January!