Although the beginning of 2011 was marked nearly a month ago, in traditional Chinese beliefs the new year is now just shortly arriving and will occur shortly.
In 1911 the Chinese adopted the Western calendar, but the lunar calendar is still used on for celebrations such as the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year is held on the first day of the First Moon of the lunar calendar, which varies from as early as January 21 to as late as February 19. The Year of the Tiger official ends on February 3, with the Year of the Rabbit beginning.
In Prince Rupert a banquet dinner being held at the Nisga’a Hall in Prince Rupert on January 30 to celebrate.
All fourteen members of the Prince Rupert Chinese Association organized the banquet for the Chinese New Year, a celebration that will include traditional entertainment activities such as children and seniors performing line dances, cultural Chinese singing and food, as well as speeches from community leaders such as Mayor Jack Mussallem, and MLA Gary Coons and dancing. And each year Cook’s Jeweler’s donates a prize that reflects each animal for one lucky person to win as a prize.
This event can be enjoyed by every member of the family because unlike celebrations such as Filipino Night, Chinese New Year is a family orientated gathering.
“Family is the most important thing in our culture, so we don’t exclude the children,” explained President of the Prince Rupert Chinese Association Amy Wong.