Kung Hei Fat Choi! -- or Happy New Year. A Keighley restaurant owner has celebrated the Chinese New Year by surprising his customers with a little bit of monkey magic.

Tam's Cantonese Cuisine, in Cross Hills, offered a traditional five-course meal with entertainment provided by a magician yesterday evening.

Owner Philip Tam said: "This year is the year of the monkey -- the last time this happened was way back in 1992."

Opening his restaurant four years ago, he continued: "Chinese New Year is a family celebration mainly. Traditionally, on the first and second day, people go and visit friends and family giving gifts to children, always wrapped in red.

"Even today, traditional Chinese people don't celebrate Christmas, instead waiting for the Chinese New Year.

"The Chinese have their own calendar with 29 and 30 days in each month and every four years an extra month added to bring it in line with the Western calendar."

Unfortunately, Philip's restaurant was too small to allow his preferred choice of celebration -- traditional dragon dancers with fireworks.

Yesterday marked the two-week transition period from the old Year of the Sheep, and will be celebrated by about one fifth of the world's population. There are 12 different animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and boar. Each has its own distinctive set of characteristics.