Chinese New Year: What is the significance of the Year of the Tiger, and what does it mean for you?

If your age is a multiple of 12 this year, you fall under the tiger sign

Chinese Spring Festival marks the start of the Year of the Tiger (Alamy/PA)

The most important holiday for billions of people in China and around the world, Lunar New Year (also called the Spring Festival) is a two-week celebration that this year starts on February 1.

During the festival, homes are festooned with red paper lanterns and families gather to share sumptuous feasts, enjoying symbolic dishes such as dumplings (to represent gold ingots) and noodles (to denote long life).