All images have been sourced from: https://durham.gov.uk/article/19930/Durham-City-Chinese-New-Year-Celebrations (credits: Durham Markets)
By Lucy Lloyd
This weekend Durham will be celebrating in style! To
mark the beginning of the Chinese New Year, which is officially feted on 25th
January, a variety of activities and entertainments will be taking place around
the city – providing an opportunity for everyone to get stuck in!
The Oceans Apart Kung Fu Club will be kicking off the
day’s festivities with their performance of the Traditional Lion Dance. Symbolising
power and good fortune, this dance is one of the most important parts of traditional
New Year’s celebrations, promising good luck for the year ahead, as well as
plenty of entertainment for participants and spectators alike. Beginning at
12.30pm in Millennium Place, the procession will make its way around various
locations in the city for the next few hours, before finishing up at Walkergate
at about 2.40pm.
In addition to this, activities will be held in the
Town Hall all day from 10.30am to 4pm, with events including a Tea Ceremony, Chinese
horoscope readings and plenty of arts and crafts. There are many more events on
the agenda too, including fashion shows, dances and musical performances that
will be presented and performed in by members of the local schools.
For those looking for something a bit more
challenging, Clayport Library will be holding Chinese language and storytelling
sessions from 11am, providing a fantastic way to really get stuck into the culture
– as well as getting some brain work in over the weekend!
And finally, if all that’s not enough, the following
weekend (the 8th February), Durham University Oriental Museum will
be holding a Lantern Festival, where the museum will be lit by lanterns for the
public to see. Traditional Chinese food and drinks will also be available for
visitors, with plenty of arts and crafts to get involved with.
All in all, it’s looking to be a really exciting and fun-filled
weekend, so make sure you get the opportunity to give everything a try!
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