As the celebration approaches, Sjarif's troupe practices for their performances. Ethnic Chinese people prepare to usher in the Year of the Rat and the dancers go over their moves on 3m poles, carrying the lion costume that weighs about 5kg.
THE US
For millions of Chinese-Americans, festivities marking the start of the Lunar New Year are an opportunity to celebrate their culture and expose it to Americans from other backgrounds.
"It's a time to showcase the richness of our culture and to engage our own community in special events," says Hope Chu, the communications manager of the Organization of Chinese-Americans, the largest ethnic Chinese organization in the country. "It's a time to connect with our ethnic heritage."
This year the US Postal Service is releasing a new stamp series to mark the Lunar New Year beginning with a stamp dedicated to the Year of the Rat, the first animal in the zodiac. The series will continue through the entire 12-year cycle.
In thousands of cities and towns across the country Chinese-Americans will perform in spectacular parades and host banquets, craft fairs and martial arts demonstrations. The largest events will take place in the three main centers of Chinese-American population: New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
CAMBODIA
Ho Chin Seng watches carefully as his Cambodian lion dancers, or mong sy, go through their paces at Tuen Fah Chinese School and Temple in the Cambodian capital.
"We are booked to dance for Sok Kong in a few days," he says, referring to Cambodia's leading petroleum tycoon. Seng's troupe is also a favorite with Senate President Chea Sim and Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Seng, of Chinese-Malaysian descent is in his early 40s and has been in Cambodia for a decade teaching lion dancing and other cultural arts.
Cambodia comes to a virtual halt during the Lunar New Year festival. Although it is not an official government holiday, Chinese roots run deep here and bosses are rarely angry when staff go to perform traditional New Year tasks - in fact, they usually do so too.
"Cambodia and China are strong allies, but also, most Cambodians have Chinese relatives or at least have a Chinese connection," says government spokesman Khieu Kanharith.
Although Cambodia will celebrate its own New Year in April, its zodiac mirrors the Chinese zodiac. Last year, the auspicious Year of the Golden Pig, Cambodian hospitals reported a significant increase in pregnancies and births.
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