Monday, Jan. 26th is Lunar New Year's Day, so whether you are following the Lunar Calendar or just would like to celebrate, here is a list of events in the area that you can attend, as well as some additional information about the first day of the Year of the Ox.

Here are some random facts. The Chinese Calendar is actually Lunisolar, which means it is calculated based on the positions of both the sun and the moon. Those born in the Year of the Ox are people who were born in: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997. According to the Chinese zodiac, Oxen tend to be persistently hard workers, and are most compatible with Rats. Famous Oxen include Bach, Handel, Van Gogh, Dvorak, Walt Disney, and Charles Chaplin.

Sacramento Youth Symphony and San Jose's Firebird Chinese Youth Orchestra will be holding a Chinese New Year concert at the Sacramento Community Center Theater. During the concert, which begins at 3:00 pm, the Chinese Youth Orchestra will be playing traditional Chinese instruments.
• Also on Jan. 25th, the Korean American Community Association (KACA) will be holding a New Year's celebration with traditional Korean dancing and music. Held at the Crest Theatre, doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the event will start at 6:30 p.m. Though the event organizer Mr. Alex Lee says that tickets are sold out, according to a source on the Sacramento Korean Language and Cultural Meetup Group Page, tickets may still be available at Hana Supermarket, located at 9531 Folsom Boulevard.
• During the weekend of Saturday, Jan. 31st, a small Vietnamese New Year (Tết) Celebration will be held in a parking lot on the corner of Stockton Boulevard and Florin Road. The information was not available at the time this article went to press, as the planning committee recently postponed the original date of Jan. 24th due to rain. (Updates will follow in the comment section.)
• On Feb. 12th, Thy Tran, founder of wanderingspoon.com, will discuss various cultures' approaches to the celebration of Lunar New year and food at the Barton Art Gallery. Following the discussion, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and other Asian food will be served, as well as a number of Asian beers. Located at 1723 I street, the event will take place at 6:30 p.m.
• On Feb. 14th, over a dozen Chinese community organizations will come together to celebrate and ring in the Year of the Ox at Sac State. It will be an all day event commencing at 11:00 am. The first part will feature a lion dance, martial arts and other performances, as well as games for kids. Then, from 7 to 11 p.m., ballroom dancing will be held for those who enjoy dancing late into the night.

What are your Lunar New Year's plans? Can you provide us with any additional information?