Get ready to hear the greeting: "Gong Xi Fa Chai!". It means "congratulations and be prosperous" - the traditional greeting for Chinese New Year. Celebrated wherever Chinese people live, the New Year is the most famous and colourful Chinese festival on the lunar calendar - a time for family and friends to gather. It is also a time when the largest human migration takes place as Chinese all over the world return home for festive family reunions.

The Year of the Dog will be celebrated on 29 January 2006. Chinese Astrology goes by twelve-year cycles and those who were born under the sign of the dog had birthdays in 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994 and 2006. This year was the Year of the Rooster and 2007 will be Year of the Pig.

Some of the biggest celebrations take place in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Bangkok. If you plan to visit these cities during the days surrounding Chinese New Year, you'd be wise to book your hotel room now. Celebrations begin on Chinese New Year's Eve, and last from 3 to 42 days.

Also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, it marks a time of boisterous celebrations, consulting fortune-tellers, worshipping ancestors, settling debts, and thoroughly cleaning house. Loud street processions are led by flamboyant dancing dragons and lions. Doorways are adorned with strips of red paper with greetings of good fortune, and red lanterns are strung about everywhere.

A popular legend surrounds the origin of Chinese New Year, revolving around a great beast called Nian. Some Chinese believe that Nian was a reptilian predator that could swallow people whole. The Chinese were terrified, yet learned that Nian hated the colour red and loud noises, so they scared Nian away with explosions and fireworks. Nowadays, Chinese hold the colour red to represent happiness and good fortune, while firecrackers are lit to ward off evil spirits, and the word nian simply means year in Mandarin language.

Hong Kong is one of the best places to experience Chinese New Year. For three days, the city hosts a huge party. A magnificent parade winds its way along the waterfront, international performance troupes perform, flower markets fill Victoria Park, and a dazzling firework display lights up Victoria Harbour.

If you want to be close to the festivities, most hotels in the Kowloon or Central areas would be good choices. If you want to be in the heart of the action, check out Excelsior Hotel and Park Lane Hotel. The Excelsior prominently stands on the waterfront while Park Lane Hotel rises above popular Victoria Park where the festive flower market is held a few days before Chinese New Year.

Celebrations in Shanghai last for about two weeks. An array of rituals and events take place in Yu Yuan Garden, Nanjing Street and The Bund, but the Longhua Temple hosts one of the most spectacular celebrations. At midnight on Chinese New Year's Eve, 108 honoured Buddhists climb the 40 metre tall Longhua Pagoda to strike the temple bell. This is the oldest temple in Shanghai, with a history of over 1700 years.

Popular throughout China is the spectacular show put on by Central Chinese Television (CCTV). It is viewed by tens of millions every year. A modern Chinese ritual is for families to gather in front of the television gobbling dishes of dumplings and watching the captivating performances on New Year's Eve.

If you want to visit Shanghai, the famous  Peace Hotel places guests in classic surroundings right on lively Nanjing Road, while the  Park Hotel overlooks Renmin Park. You could live it up at the  Grand Hyatt, where luxurious guest rooms boast enormous floor-to-ceiling windows from the 53rd to 87th floors, ensuring spectacular views of fireworks!

Thailand's Chinese population is so large that all of Bangkok seems to shut down during Chinese New Year. During this three-day holiday, Chinatown's streets are filled as an international crowd eats its way along Yaowarat and Charon Krung Roads while watching spectacular lion dancing and colourful dragon processions. Expect music, Chinese opera and fireworks, as well as plenty of stores selling products and food like grilled pork, Peking duck, Chinese desserts and noodles.

Bangkok's Chinatown can be a confusing but delightful area full of narrow alleys, old shop-houses, temples and food stalls. It starts at the Odeon Roundabout, a tall red gate ornamented with ceramic dolls of Chinese deities and magic animals. The most scenic place to stay in Bangkok, especially to avoid the traffic, is along the Chao Praya River. Several hotels have their own private boats, allowing easy access into Chinatown.

To stay in style, the legendary riverside Mandarin Oriental Hotel sits on the river banks, as do The Peninsula, the Shangri-La, and the Bangkok Marriott. Those on a tighter budget can try the Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside. If you travel by boat or river taxi, the Ratchawong Pier lets you off on the shores of Chinatown, while the Skytrain station at Sappan Taksin Station is directly above Sathon River Taxi Pier.

Singapore's Chinese New Year celebrations last for 42 days! Chinatown is beautifully lit up and hosts a countdown complete with fireworks and partying until dawn. The vibrant 100 year old Chingay Parade of Dreams makes its way down Orchard Road with flashy floats and around 2000 performers including Samba dancers, Japanese ninjas, elephants and gymnasts. Audiences line the route, with reserved-seat tickets on sale at the Singapore Visitors Centre on Orchard Road.

The Hilton and the Meritus Mandarin hotels offer deluxe front-row accommodation on Orchard Road, while the Mandarin Oriental Hotel is linked to Marina Square, where more festivities take place. Hotels in Chinatown include the Royal Peacock, the Berjaya hotel, the Amara and the Grand Copthorne Waterfront.

Other events include shows at the Marina Square Promenade, nightly cultural performances at Kreta Ayer Square Stage in Chinatown, a massive bazaar in Chinatown and fireworks over the marina. So, if you're not avoiding the crowds and noise this Chinese New Year - get out there and be the noise! It's a time for celebrating and joining the electrifying energy of one of the most vibrant festivals in the world!