Scotland fireworks and why you could hear them across towns and cities last night

Did you hear loud bangs, fizzes and pops last night in your area last night?

Residents across Scotland rushed to their windows last night to see some pretty stunning displays of fireworks on Monday evening that lasted until well after midnight.

People in Edinburgh and Glasgow and other areas took to social media to ask what all the celebrations were for, with many left confused over the loud noises.

Some football fans joked the fireworks were to celebrate various Transfer deals, including Hibs signing Sylvester Jasper and Rangers welcoming the arrival of Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

Hogmanay is long gone and Bonfire Night is not for another 10 months, so why were there fireworks being set off across towns and cities?

Why were fireworks being set off last night?

The fireworks were being let off to celebrate the Chinese New Year (Getty Images)

The fireworks were being let off to celebrate the Chinese New Year - one of the most important annual holidays in China.

The Lunar New Year is the most important annual holiday in China and it marks the start of the Year of the Tiger which falls on Tuesday, February 1.

This year the date marked the end of the Year of the Ox and the start of the Year of the Tiger, with fireworks set off to scare away evil spirits and to signal the start of a safe and prosperous new year.

Many Asian cultures historically follow a lunar, rather than solar, calendar, meaning that the Lunar New Year falls on a different day on the Gregorian calendar every year - this year falling on January 31, and the new year beginning on Tuesday, February 1.

During the Lunar New Year festival, homes are festooned with red paper lanterns and families gather to share sumptuous feasts, enjoying symbolic dishes such as dumplings, representing gold ingots, and noodles, denoting long life.

According to tradition, a person born in a particular year takes on the traits of that year’s animal.

By this logic, babies born in 2022 will take on the characteristics of the tiger – the third in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac cycle.

Tigers also were born in 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950 and so on.

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