COLOURFUL festivities to mark the Chinese New Year have been held across the city.

Chinese students from the University of York joined in the celebrations, helping local children prepare traditional decorations to see in the Year Of The Rooster next month.

York's second annual Chinese Festival is now well under way, with events continuing right up until Chinese New Year's Day on February 9. Chinese lanterns, made by pupils at Scarcroft, St Lawrence's, Fishergate and Riccall primary schools will feature in a traditional Lion and Lantern Parade through the streets of York to a specially-created Chinese Arch in the Coppergate Centre. The parade will start on February 9, at 7pm, at St William's College.

The arch was unveiled in the grounds of the National Centre for Early Music last week.

Decorated by youngsters from Osbaldwick, Fishergate and Lord Deramore's primary schools, the arch features all the animals from the Chinese calendar.

Melanie Paris, marketing manager at the centre, said: "We invited Mei Yuk, a Chinese artist from Manchester, to visit the schools and work with a group of children to provide the decorations for the arch. Each school was allocated four animals chosen from the Chinese zodiac.

"The children really enjoyed the experience and also had the opportunity to make Chinese lanterns, traditional Chinese red packets and play a Chinese game."

The arch will be on display at the music centre between 10am and 4pm until Tuesday, February 8.

It will then be transported to the Coppergate Centre, where it will meet the Lion and Lantern parade at the Chinese New Year's Day celebrations.

For more information about events connected with the Chinese Festival, visit www.ncem.co.uk/chinese, or phone 01904 658338.

The year of the rooster

EVERY year in the Chinese calendar is named after one of 12 animals. For example, 2004 was the Year Of The Monkey and 2005 is the Year Of The Rooster. The animals are, in order: rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Every 12 years the cycle repeats itself. Traditionally, people born in rooster years are resourceful, hard- working and enjoy entertaining - but they have strong personalities and can appear boastful. Michael Aspel, Katherine Hepburn, Yoko Ono and Eric Clapton were all born in the Year Of The Rooster.

Updated: 10:26 Monday, January 31, 2005