By CK Nayak
Last Saturday (January 25) was the first day of the Chinese New Year, this year being the year of Rat. And in a bid to herald the upcoming Chinese New Year, the embassy of the People’s Republic of China held grand celebrations of Chinese art and culture in Delhi, Kolkata and other places in India.
This New Year also marks the 70th anniversary of Indo-Chinese diplomatic ties. Befittingly, China is going to have 70 events throughout the whole year in different parts of India to mark the occasion.
The New Year festival is usually referred to as the Spring Festival in China, and is one of the several Lunar New Years in Asia. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between January 21 and February 20. In 2020, the first day of the Chinese New Year was January 25, initiating the Year of the Rat.
While the China National Symphony Orchestra celebrated the India-China ties with their rendition of the 1951 hit ‘Awara Hoon’, the famous China Oriental Performing Arts Group performed ‘The Splendour of China’, to represent the oriental artistic characteristics of Chinese culture.
From the boldness of Chinese warriors to the wonders of Chinese medicines like acupuncture, the dance troupe put on magnificent displays of the Chinese culture through various dance forms. The performances had a lot of elements. Not only ballet but also Chinese folk dance, Peking opera, modern dancing and even acrobatics. All these elements of Chinese culture were combined.
In Delhi, the celebrations kicked off with a welcome note in Hindi by the Chinese hosts. This drew loud applause from the Indian audience.
“The societies of India and China are very similar. Rooted in traditions, both nations take pride in their values and are very family-oriented. Our common love for rice, tea and silk are well known worldwide,” said MP Narendra Jadhav, who was also the chief guest.
The Chinese ambassador, Sun Weidong, hosted the colourful evening as many ambassadors and politicians were seen at the event which was held at the Siri Fort auditorium.
Bao Jiqing, wife of the Chinese ambassador, was there at the celebrations. She expressed her keenness to visit some historical monuments in Delhi to celebrate the New Year. The cultural counsellor of the embassy, Zhang Jianxin, had briefed the media prior hand and had explained the details.
In an equally grand function in Kolkata held in Oberoi Grand, the Consulate General on January 10 organised the traditional Chinese lion dance show. A band of percussionists from Kolkata called ‘Beat Blasters’ put on wonderful performances.
The Chinese population in Kolkata is mainly concentrated in two regions, the Territy Bazar (Old Chin Town) and the Tangra (New China Town), and they celebrate their New Year in the traditional way.
The New Year festival is the biggest in China and celebrated like Diwali in India.