Back in the Nineties, Chinese entrepreneurs first began to establish themselves in Greece, creating settlements in both Athens and Thessaloniki. More and more shops with traditional Chinese lanterns began to appear. Not long after that, the Chinese community began to host its first New Year’s lion dances to celebrate New Year festivities. And 2016 is no exception with celebrations around Greece.

In Thessaloniki, the Year of the Monkey will be celebrated at the city’s so-called Chinatown that spans from Monastiriou to 26 October streets and includes Aisopou, Tantalou and Sapphous streets that have been recently upgraded through an 800,000-euro investment.

In Athens, the New Year celebrations at Kotzia Square attract a following as well as the annual New Year’s dinner by the Greece-China Association (tel 210 3646260).