We all are familiar with our New Year’s celebration. We buy a pack of fireworks and anxiously wait till midnight to launch them and watch the ball drop in New York’s Times Square.

As midnight strikes, we wish everyone a Happy New Year. A lot of us like to sit with friends and family and watch football or host a party on New Year’s Day.

We gather around the table with our loved ones and enjoy the feast that is placed before us.

Well obviously, the American celebration is not the same in all 196 countries.

They are each unique in their own way. But one of the most popular New Year’s celebrations is held in the country of China.

The Chinese celebration is based on the lunar calendar and is acknowledged to be one of the most important holidays for citizens of China.

Unlike most of the world’s custom of celebrating December 31, the Chinese New Year changes every year based on their calendar.

It is all focused on bringing good luck for the following year and welcoming the spring.

In China it is known as the "spring festival." Chinese families start by cleaning their houses to wipe off any bad luck and make way for good fortune.

China’s welcoming of the coming year changes its theme based on their zodiac. Their zodiac is a 12 year cycle and consists of 12 animals, the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig. The zodiac sign assigned to 2012 is the dragon.

Everyone corresponds to one of the 12 zodiacs based on their year of birth. For example, if someone was born in 1996 then that means they are the year of the rat. Each of the 12 members of the zodiac comes with personalities.

The rat is known to be quick witted, charming, and imaginative. The Chinese New Year is famous for its zodiacs that are known all around the world.

In the mornings children will greet their parents or loved ones and are given money that comes in a red envelope.

The Chinese people attend festivals (usually in kimonos) and have a feast and perform dances. These celebrations can even last for a month as a giant dragon walks the streets.

Even though the two ways of celebrating the New Year are different, they both welcome the New Year with friends and family and result in both parties having a wonderful time.