As Lunar New Year begins Jan. 22 and festivities kick off around the world, closer to home Cloverdale will be hosting its own celebration.
Father Paul Chu, the pastor of Precious Blood Parish, will hold a celebration carnival Jan. 28 called, “Celebrating Love & Harmony in the Year of the Rabbit.”
“The focus of the event is to celebrate the Lunar New Year and also to raise funds for the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s Healing and Reconciliation Fund,” said Chu.
Chu expects about a thousand people to attend the festival at Precious Blood Parish over the course of the day. The celebration will run from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. He said festivities will begin with a lion dance, a traditional Chinese cultural dance that is said to bring good luck.
There will also be entertainment throughout the day featuring Wushu performances (Chinese martial arts), singing, and various ethnic dance performances including: Chinese traditional dance, Polynesian dance, Métis dance, and Nigerian dance.
“We will also have calligraphy, lantern riddles, karaoke, exciting interactive games, and festive stalls selling traditional souvenirs, decorations, and delicious traditional Chinese food,” said Chu. “To add to the fun, there will be lucky draw winners throughout the day.”
Chu said Precious Blood’s Lunar New Year celebration was conceived as a way to both celebrate and promote Chinese culture while at the same time serving as a “friendly platform” to help build and strengthen relationships between the Chinese community and all other communities.
He said in the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit is a symbol of love, tenderness, and peace.
“In a world suffering from the effects of war, economic uncertainty, and a lingering pandemic, peace is a gift that we are longing for,” added Chu. “We believe that the inspiration for this event was sparked by enthusiasm for bringing all the different cultures within this community together.”
The Lunar New Year Celebration runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28. Admission is free.
Precious Blood Parish is located at 17475 59th Avenue in Cloverdale. For more info, visit pbparish.ca.
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
