The Chinese welcomed in the Year of the Ox in Southend High Street in colourful style.

The festivities marked the Chinese New Year, which fell on January 26, as it is based on the lunar calender.

The streets were filled with people enjoying noodles while they watched the red, black and gold lions perform a dance to bring prosperity.

There was also a performance by Chinese acrobats, a Tai Chi demonstration, and children singing traditional tunes.

Jo Stirling-Brown spent the day dressed in a kimono and handed out charms full of chocolate coins to raise money for the Mayor’s Charity.

She said: “There’s a lot of children who understand what’s going on because they have been taught about it in school. Businesses have been getting involved too.”

Suzanne Zammit, head of languages at Southend High School for Boys, organised lantern making in the Royals shopping centre.

She said: “I think it raises awareness of other cultures and traditions and it gives an insight into other languages.

“These can be learnt through different means, not just sitting in classrooms.”

One of her students, Ben McNish, 18, has been learning to speak Chinese for four years and has been teaching 14 and 15-year-old pupils the basics in their free time. He spent the New Year having his face painted as a Chinese mask by technical theatre students from South East Essex College.

He said: “I got bored with other languages so I decided to learn Chinese. I already speak five other languages – Arabic, French, German, Spanish, and English.”

Tony Law, president of the Chinese community centre in York Road, Southend, predicted good things for the year of the Ox.

He said: “The Ox represents strength, endurance, and hard working. So despite what has been going on in the world, finance and so on, I believe that towards the end of this year there will be a turn around and a sense of optimism.

“The Ox is an animal that symbolises hard working, but we will get a reward at the end of it.”