Fascinating festival

According to the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Rat (earth element) begins on February 7, 2008 and ends on January 25, 2009.

On January 30, an early Chinese Spring Festival, which was celebrated to welcome the Year of the Rat, was inaugurated by the Minister for Tourism and Culture Francis Zammit Dimech together with Chai Xi, Ambassador of the Republic of China in Malta, at Freedom Square, Valletta. It was the second of its kind following a resounding success in 2007 for the Year of the Pig.

Most cultures celebrate their New Year as a renewal while the Chinese celebrate it as more than that. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion, thanksgiving and cherishing harmony that also include religious ceremonies to honour their ancestors and gods. Typical Chinese culinary fare that symbolises good fortune is among their banquets during the 15-day celebration.

The Chinese red lanterns which symbolise happiness and good luck were raised at the entrance of Valletta while there were several cultural performances that morning. The traditional Chinese orchestra from Chongqin province gave a mesmerising performance and surprised the audience with several Maltese folkloristic music pieces. The yangqin, a Chinese hammered dulcimer which is played with two bamboo sticks and dates back to the Ming Dynasty era, was one of the instruments used by the orchestra.

The lion is traditionally regarded as a guardian creature representing good omens. Hence, the Northern Lions, known to have more acrobatic elements in their dances, were brought to Malta as a symbolic blessing.

The Chinese opera singer in a vibrant costume was backed up by four female dancers to the tune of a "boat song". The Magical Mask Changing amazed the audience who saw how each mask was changed to a new coloured one within a fraction of a second at a mere touch. The renowned Sichuan acrobatics which contained a Kung Fu element captured the hearts of the audience.

The Chinese Spring Festival ended with a street parade where interesting characters were added to amuse the audience.

We wish to thank the China Cultural Centre, the Valletta local council, the Ministry for Tourism and Culture and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China for bringing us this fascinating Chinese Spring Festival.