CHINA: CELEBRATING THE FESTIVAL OF THE LANTERNS

YESTERDAY evening (18.02.09) I attended the Manchester Chinese Centre for the Festival of the Lanterns. Nine students also attended and met the Lord Mayor of Manchester in their roles as Youth Ambassadors to China. The Lord Mayor was impressed at the students’ knowledge of China and said she had visited Shanghai and Wuhan recently. She gave the students some excellent tips regarding Chinese food and the art of haggling.

Then the lantern festival commenced. We gathered outside at the back courtyard of the centre while the lanterns were prepared. The lanterns are a cross between kites and hot-air balloons and come in all shapes and sizes. They are lit beneath like hot-air balloons and this gives them their lift. The festival is also in-part, a version of Valentine’s Day so there were red, heart shaped lanterns taking to the Ardwick night skies. This was followed by a demonstration of traditional Chinese music, a martial arts display and even a dragon made an appearance with the assistance of the children, who attend the centre for lessons in their cultural heritage.

Following the festivities outside, we returned to the warmth of the centre for a buffet of delicious Chinese cuisine. Our students enjoyed the food immensely and many went back for seconds and thirds! It was a highly enjoyable evening and all credit to Jenny Wong and her colleagues for organizing such a unique and fun evening.

For a slide show of the evening scroll down the sidebar on the right of my blog.