Close to a thousand Chinese nationals in Samoa will gather to mark the start of the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival. This year will mark the Year of the Snake.

For the Chinese community living far from home, the celebration is a means to stay connected to their culture.

The President of the Samoa Chinese Business Inc. Association, Ji Zhiming is excited. He hopes that the new year will bring luck, peace, prosperity, and love among his people and Samoans.

"Tomorrow (Wednesday) is New Year's Eve. Banish bad luck and welcome the new year. I hope that the people I love will get what they want. Hope for everything to run smoothly and be filled with good fortune," he said. 

"Congratulations on the Chinese Spring Festival inscribed on the representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. In celebration of a happy and harmonious Chinese Lunar New Year of Shake."

According to Ji, the significance of the event is to ensure that the young generations of Chinese living here are still learning about their heritage and cultural practices. He hopes that the Chinese people will not forget their culture.

"More than 1,000 Chinese people are living here in Samoa. Few are married to locals and they built their own families here. This is a family event where our community will gather as one family to celebrate all their hard work and efforts of the previous year and reset for the new year," said Ji.

"We celebrate it in kind of a reunion, families and friends come together and drink, cook, talk, and many other things."

Ji believes that his community has contributed to the economy of Samoa in so many ways. They have offered employment opportunities for many Samoans. They've also helped with projects, provided funding, and are donors to many civil society bodies. 

Ji has been living in Samoa for more than 20 years and has seen the growth of his community in Samoa. 

With the celebration of New Year's, his only hope is for his community in Samoa to celebrate and feel closer to home.