Global Celebrations of Lantern Festival: Embracing Traditional Chinese Culture Overseas

2024-02-25 13:41:17

Comprehensive news丨Feel the traditional culture and convey good wishes-Many places overseas celebrate the Lantern Festival

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, February 25 (Xinhua News Agency’s foreign correspondents reported: During the Lantern Festival, temple fairs, special theatrical performances, lantern riddle guessing and other activities are held in many places around the world. Overseas people and overseas Chinese jointly feel the beautiful atmosphere of the festival, experience and Understand traditional Chinese culture.

On the 24th, the Chinese Embassy in Belgium joined hands with the Alliance of Overseas Chinese Associations in Belgium to host the “Chinese Spring Festival Garden and Temple Fair” in Antwerp. The atmosphere was festive and warm, with cultural performances and experience activities such as Chinese food, martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, and calligraphy attracting nearly 2,000 tourists. The China Cultural Center in Brussels set up a booth with the theme of celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of sister cities between Shanghai and Antwerp to showcase the image of Shanghai to local people and promote Shanghai tourism. Wu Gang, Charge d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Belgium, said in his speech that this event allowed overseas Chinese in Belgium to feel the strong flavor of the New Year, and also provided a platform for local people to experience Chinese traditional culture and share the happiness and joy of the Spring Festival.

Walters, deputy mayor of Antwerp, said that the temple fair provides an opportunity for the Belgian people to experience Chinese culture and enhance mutual understanding. Antwerp has a long history of cooperation with China and will continue to deepen its friendship with China. People who participated in the temple fair said that the event was rich in content and interesting, allowing them to feel the profound Chinese culture and the friendship between the two peoples.

Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, held a special theatrical performance on the 24th to celebrate the New Year and Lantern Festival. The performance was co-organized by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan government departments. The performance kicked off with the suona solo “A Hundred Birds Pay Attendance to the Phoenix”. Artists from Chongqing, China performed Sichuan opera face-changing, folk songs, folk percussion ensemble and other special programs. Sri Lankan artists also brought their country’s traditional folk songs and dances, which received constant applause from the audience. .

“I am very happy to see such a performance with Chinese characteristics in Colombo.” Colombo citizen Menuka said, “The performance allowed me to see many unique Chinese art forms. On the 23rd, we celebrated the Sri Lankan traditional festival ‘Full Moon Festival’. I am surprised that Chinese culture has such similarities, and I hope to have a deeper understanding of Chinese culture in the future.”

Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, held the annual Lantern Festival Temple Fair on the 24th. Dozens of Chinese culture and food stalls are set up at the temple fair, where visitors can experience calligraphy, painting, paper-cutting, traditional Chinese massage and other activities, and taste traditional snacks such as cold skin, meat buns, and hot dry noodles. The wonderful dragon and lion dance, Tai Chi and martial arts performances won rounds of applause from people. The whole-day event attracted more than 5,000 local people and overseas Chinese to participate.

Wu Changhong, chairman of the Cape Town station of the “Chinese Bridge” club, the organizer of the event, said that holding the temple fair can allow overseas Chinese to feel the warmth of their hometown, and can also allow South African people to experience and understand traditional Chinese culture, thus promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and South Africa. Contribute to the development of friendly relations between the two countries.

This year is the first time that the imported goods market in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, has hosted the Lantern Festival celebrations. On the Lantern Festival on the 24th, many stall owners specially wore red tops, and the entire market was decorated festively. Dragon dances, lion dances, and sword dances amazed the onlookers. At the invitation of the organizers China-Brazil Exchange Association and the Confucius Institute at the University of Brasilia, Bebeto, Chairman of the Market Management Committee, delivered a speech at the event, saying that Chinese stallholders are an important supporting force for Brasilia’s imported goods market, and Chinese goods are more It is the most popular product among consumers here.

Li Yongzhong, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in Brazil, said in his speech that he was very happy to see so many Brazilian friends celebrating the Lantern Festival with us and feeling the cordial and festive atmosphere like a big family between China and Brazil. “I believe that the exchanges and integration of Chinese and Brazilian cultures will surely further Deepen the mutual understanding between the two peoples, promote equality, mutual learning, dialogue and tolerance between the two civilizations, and bloom a more brilliant flower of friendship.”

On the evening of the 23rd, the first “Guessing Lantern Festival and Lantern Festival” event co-sponsored by the Chinese Cultural Center in Bucharest and the Romanian Association for the Promotion of Culture and Art was held at the Chinese Cultural Center in Bucharest. Nearly 200 Romanian people and overseas Chinese in Romania gathered together to celebrate the festival. .

At the event, guzheng playing and Tibetan dance performances brought an audio-visual feast to the audience. There are also traditional cultural experience projects such as guessing lantern riddles, throwing pots, kicking shuttlecocks, and writing the word “福”. The wishing tree blessing session added a warm color to the event. Many guests wrote their wishes and best wishes for the future on the wishing strips. Guests who participated in the event said that through this event, they had a deeper understanding of the Spring Festival and looked forward to more similar cultural exchange activities in the future.

Xu Ningbo, director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Bucharest, said in his speech that the Lantern Festival symbolizes reunion and harmony, and he hopes that through such activities, Romanian friends will have a deeper understanding of and love for traditional Chinese culture.

On the 23rd, the Confucius Institute at the Free International University of Moldova held the “Xinxiang Xianglong Chinese New Year” Chinese Spring Festival theatrical performance at the Railway Cultural Palace in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. The performance was brilliant. The instrumental quartet “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” blended the traditional Chinese instrument guzheng with cello, violin and piano, which triggered long and warm applause from the audience. More than 900 people attended the event, including Chinese Ambassador to Morocco Yan Wenbin, representatives of the Free International University of Morocco and other representatives from all walks of life in Morocco, teachers and students of the Confucius Institute and its affiliated Chinese teaching sites, and representatives of overseas Chinese.

The Chinese Embassy in Canada also held a Happy Spring Festival Lantern Festival reception a few days ago, which was the perfect conclusion to Canada’s 2024 “Happy Spring Festival” event. The event invited the Henan Province Cultural and Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition and Performance Troupe in Ottawa to bring arts and performances with the characteristics of the Central Plains, such as Zhengzhou dough sculptures, Zhuxian Town woodblock New Year pictures and paper-cutting, and folk music performances. Audience member Gloria Goodwin said she was impressed by the patience and agility displayed by the performers when cutting paper and making dough sculptures. “It’s great to see young people keeping traditions alive.”

Cong Peiwu, Chinese Ambassador to Canada, said in his speech that China is willing to strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges with Canada, promote a deeper mutual understanding between the two peoples, and inject positive cultural energy into promoting the relationship between the two countries to get back on track as soon as possible. (Participating reporters: Wang Lei, Wang Xiaomei, Pan Geping, Bian Zhuodan, Zhang Gaiping, Wu Yue, Che Hongliang, Lin Wei, He Haiyan)

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