SUN LEEN FAI LOK!!

Hong Kong descendent Veronica Needa is steeped in London's Chinese New Year celebrations.

A founder member of Yellow Earth, she is now a director of True Heart Theatre, specialising in storytelling and performance which integrates her Chinese heritage.

Here, she explains the tradition of lucky red packets with money inside, and why she's looking forward to the new Year of the Tiger.

Growing up as a Eurasian in Hong Kong, I celebrated all the Chinese festivals as well as the Western ones.

Chinese New Year (CNY) is the favourite of course, and the tradition of 'red packets' - Lai see or Hung Bao - given by grownups to young people was a lucrative business for me.

You see, in order to receive the blessings that a youngster wishes them, adults must in return give lucky red packets with money inside.

My parents had a wide circle of friends in Hong Kong, and I would wholeheartedly wish them many blessings in Cantonese: 'Kung Hay Fat Choy' (wealth and prosperity); 'Chuut Yup Ping On' (peaceful journeys); 'Cheung Mehng Foo Gwai' (longevity and abundance); 'Sun Leen Fai Lok' (happy new year).

I was such a cute little girl with curly brown hair and I made a fortune at Chinese New Year!

A grown up, living now in London, I love sharing stories about CNY, so you'll find me at the Natural History Museum later this week.

These storytelling sessions are free. It's payback time, and if you wish blessings upon me with the right words you might get yourself a red packet! Start practising …

Reflection and appreciation

In preparation for this year's CNY, I've been cleaning my home. The fridge is now fresh again after a long overdue defrosting!

And I've just been to my local chinese supermarket to buy provisions for 'Da been lo' (Hot Pot) because I'll be hosting a special party for my True Heart theatre family.

Hot Pot is a very convivial thing - everyone cooks for themselves around a boiling pot of soup at the centre of the table.

It's also a party for reflection and appreciation at the end of a year.

We'll be saying goodbye to one of our members who is returning to Taiwan after his studies here; we hope the qualities of the Tiger will follow Cecil home.

The Tiger is courageous and a fierce protector of children and the defenceless. After the terrible August typhoon of last year, there's still much to do in repairing home and community in Taiwan which Cecil is committing to.

Over new year many Chinese around London will be having their own private parties - traditionally, from new to full moon, we take 15 days to celebrate!

And there's more on Sunday 21 February, the day when we share CNY London-wide.

Chinatown will be busy and Leicester Square will be bustling with stalls and performances of all kinds. Yummy food!

A parade will start from 11am and snake along the Strand, Charing Cross Road and end up, much, much later at Trafalgar Square.

Happy noise is lucky! It scares away bad spirits and monsters!

Come and join our family. You're more than welcome...