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E-mail Xinhua, February 10, 2024
by Li Huizi
WELLINGTON, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Christchurch's resident Akshay Chauhan and his family marveled at fireworks with tens of thousands of people celebrating the Year of Dragon at Hagley Park on Friday, the eve of the Chinese New Year.
Living in New Zealand, they were the first to march into the Lunar New Year, farewelling the Year of Rabbit and ringing in the Year of Dragon.
The Chinese New Year Carnival was amazing, Chauhan told Xinhua, saying that his three-year-old son loved the huge dragon lantern, which played a central role in a series of Chinese New Year celebratory events held from Feb. 9 to Feb. 24, the Lantern Festival, in Christchurch, the largest city in New Zealand's South Island.
On Friday evening, a huge crowd thronged to witness the lighting of the dragon lantern as the day darkened, with the lighting ceremony highlighted by traditional dragon and lion dances.
A grand art and cultural show, food stalls and dozens of giant lanterns to pose for photos attracted tens of thousands of residents from various parts of New Zealand, making it the largest Chinese New Year celebration in the South Island.
Anna Khayrullina from Timaru said she had never been to a Chinese New Year celebration before and Friday's event was "brilliant."
In Chinese folklore, the high-flying dragon symbolizes strength, wisdom and achievement. The appearance of the dragon is a combination of multiple features, with horns of deer, head of camel, eyes of rabbit, scales of fish, and claws of eagle, epitomizing the harmonious coexistence of different beings and civilizations.
Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong told the ceremony that he was delighted to see enormous interest shown by people of different communities and from all walks of life in New Zealand for the Chinese New Year, a major traditional Chinese festival and an important component of the Chinese culture.
Zhong Weiren, one of organizers of the Chinese New Year Carnival, said the signature event has been a long-cherished tradition for various ethnic communities in New Zealand.
Chauhan said he brought his son to the Chinese New Year celebration to get him exposed to different cultures.
The three-year-old really enjoyed the fireworks and was happy to learn that firecrackers are set off on the eve of the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, to scare away evil spirits and pray for good luck throughout the whole year. Enditem
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