Chinese New year is celebrated after the traditional North American New Year. It falls on a different date each year depending on the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar. Usually this date is somewhere between the middle of January and the middle of February and also ties in with the Spring Festival celebrations. Charm bracelets that feature the different symbols of Chinese New Year are a great gift idea for yourself or someone you love. Charm bracelets and charms for this celebration are very traditional, but there are lots of options for adding additional charms.

Gold charm bracelets are traditional for Chinese New Year as gold is a symbol of prosperity as well as luck. Each day of the Chinese New Year can be celebrated with a different type of charm, with a total of 15 days in the entire celebration. The last day is the Lantern Festival, so a beautiful gold lantern charm is perfect for that day.

All the different years in the Chinese calendar are related to a specific animal. There are 12 animals in all and they include the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Giving a set of the charms featuring the animals of the Chinese New Year is a great addition to gold or silver charm bracelets.

Besides just the animals, the year and date of the individual's birth can be engraved on a flat disk type charm that features the traditional Chinese characters that signify the words Happy New Year. You may also want to choose the corresponding animal for the year of the individual's birth and have that engraved with their birthday.

Red envelopes filled with money are traditionally given as gifts over the Chinese New Year. Charm bracelets can be adorned with envelope charms or enameled red envelopes for good luck and prosperity through the year.

Another key element of Chinese New Year celebrations are fireworks. A few charms of firecrackers are a great addition to charm bracelets and may be a reminder of the wonderful light displays that are put on in the community for this important holiday.

There are also very distinct flowers that are given and used in decorations for the festivity. Sunflowers are given to have a good year and chrysanthemums symbolize long life. These additions to charm bracelets can add a touch of color and style.

As with any charm bracelets, personal messages of good luck, prosperity and health are wonderful additions. Charm bracelets that feature charms Chinese characters for love, health and wealth are great additions, as are charms that symbolize various New Years resolutions.