PHOTOS: Halifax’s Chinese community ushers in Year of the Dragon
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Chinese teachers perform a cheongsam show at the Chinese New Year Gala at Dalhousie University.Immigrants celebrate the largest Chinese festival with chunlian, dumplings, and family gatherings
This year, the Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, started on Feb. 10, but Halifax’s Chinese community had been preparing for it for at least a month.
The Lunar New Year is celebrated not only by those of Chinese descent, but also people from across East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, such as Korea, Vietnam, and Malaysia. In Halifax, about 18,290 people from these regions celebrate this major holiday.
The Chinese traditional calendar assigns one animal to every year, which is called the zodiac. The zodiac of 2024 is the dragon.
Chinese New Year-related activities, such as pasting chunlian, making dumplings, and traditional performances, are ongoing across HRM.
In Chinese tradition, people often paste chunlian, which are blessings for the upcoming year written on red paper.
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Eric Ding (right) and Yi Cao (left) paste Chunlian on the door of their home. The squared red paper in the middle translates into English as “good fortune”. The couplets Ding pasted say “Good Luck”.
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Yun Xue leans on the door. The couplet on the left side of the door says, “prosperity anew” and on the right it says, “peace and safe throughout the years”. The upper couplets say, “Good luck in the Year of the Dragon.”Some people who are good at calligraphy usually write chunlian at home instead of buying them. At Halifax Shopping Centre, an event was held on Feb. 11 to write Chinese names in calligraphy.
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A man writing calligraphy during an event at Halifax Shopping Centre shows a boy his Chinese name. The boy’s name is Leo.Dragons are regarded as mythical beasts that can drive away evil. Communities in China usually dance puppet dragons during the New Year holiday so that evil will not harass residents and they will be healthy and safe in the coming year.
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The leading man holds the dragon’s head and directs the dragon dance team at Halifax Shopping Centre.In northern China, one New Year’s Eve tradition is for families to gather to make and eat dumplings.
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Students from Dalhousie University make dumplings at the International Centre.
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Christine Lim, a student from Malaysia, teaches her friend how to play mahjong at International Centre, Dalhousie University.Chinese families and friends play mahjong, a traditional table game, when they get together.
Traditional dance performances are another way the community celebrates the Chinese New Year.
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Actors from Halifax Chinese Language School wear cheongsam, the clothing popular in China in the early 20th century, at the Chinese society’s New Year Gala at Dalhousie University.
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Kids wear traditional clothing called Hanfu and read ancient Chinese poetry at the New Year Gala at Dalhousie University.In China, millions of people try their best to return home before New Year’s Eve. An elaborate New Year’s Eve dinner with families is a Chinese custom. Sam Lam, the owner of Jacky’s Cafe on Spring Garden Road, made a New Year’s Eve dinner for his family and friends. People who were unable to see their families enjoyed the atmosphere of the New Year reunion.
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Twenty-one people enjoy a New Year’s Eve dinner at Jacky’s Cafe on Spring Garden Road.About the author
Xixi Jiang
Xixi Jiang, who often goes by Jacky, is from China. She’s a fourth-year student in BJH program at the University of King’s College.
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Jeff Harper
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Xixi Jiang