For the fourth year running, Chinese artists will be visiting Malta to celebrate the start of the Chinese New Year. As is well known, the Chinese New Year, also commonly known as the Spring Festival, is officially the start of the Lunar Calendar the Chinese people follow.
This year, the Chinese New Year falls on 14 February, but celebrations started long before this date. It is, in fact, the longest and most important festivity in the Lunar Calendar, and most work places in China are closed for as long as two weeks for people to be able to celebrate.
In Malta, the festivities start tomorrow in Valletta and continue on Tuesday.
The China Cultural Centre, directed by Zheng Hao, and Valletta local council have once again teamed up to present the fourth Chinese Spring Festival, a public event that will once again show the best of Chinese tradition and culture.
Mr Zheng speaks enthusiastically about the events that will take place, tomorrow in St George’s Square and on Tuesday at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. He said that the events are an expression of all that makes up China, and the fact that these activities will be held in Malta is also an expression of the good relations that exist between the two countries.
This year’s guests are from the Beijing Art Group, which is made up of 30 outstanding artistes chosen from the most prestigious cultural groups in China, including the China National Acrobatic Troupe, the Beijing Dance Academy and the Beijing Opera and Dance-Drama Company.
Tomorrow, at 10.30am, St George’s Square in Valletta will be the venue for the opening performance by the Chinese artists.
The acts include a lion dance, Chinese Kung fu and a puppet show, followed by a parade along Republic Street to the Upper Barrakka Garden.
The second event will be held on Tuesday at 8pm, this time at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, also in Valletta. The show will include acrobatics, martial arts, Chinese classical dance and music.
Mr Zheng said that the celebration will be of a high quality, as most of the artistes are experienced and well-established, and have already taken part in similar events in Asia, Europe and America.
The highlight of the show will be “Balancing on Single Hand”, an acrobatic programme that won the Gold Award at the International Juvenile Art Festival in Italy, and Chinese Kung fu programmes, during which jaw-dropping stunts and amazing presentations of various disciplines of Chinese martial arts will be presented.
Tickets for MCC performance can be purchased from MCC on 2559 5750/2559 5751 or online booking at www.mcc.com.mt
On Saturday, 13 February at 8pm, the eve of the Chinese New Year, the Grand Hotel Excelsior in Valletta will be the venue for a Chinese New Year dinner, followed by fireworks to celebrate the arrival of the Year of Tiger.
Bookings: Tel: 2125 0520
The China Cultural Centre is holding other
activities to celebrate the Spring Festival. Until 30 March, an exhibition of 50 oil paintings by Chinese students who have graduated from prestigious academies of fine arts in China over the past four years is on display at the centre at 173 Melita Street, Valletta.
Which animal are you?
The Chinese Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC. The Chinese Lunar Calendar is a yearly one, with the start of the lunar year based on the cycles of the moon. Because of this cyclical dating, the beginning of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February.
The Chinese Lunar Calendar names each of the 12 years after an animal. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him. Only 12 came to bid him farewell, and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived. The Chinese believe the animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a profound influence on personality, saying: “This is the animal that hides in your heart.”
Rabbit: Good traits: Luckiest of all, gracious, good friend, kind, soft-spoken, amiable, elegant, reserved, self-assured, astute. Bad traits: moody, detached, superficial, self-indulgent, opportunistic.
Dragon: Good traits: Magnanimous, stately, strong, proud, dignified, intellectual, fiery, passionate, decisive, pioneering, loyal. Bad traits: tactless, arrogant, imperious, tyrannical, demanding.
Snake: Good traits Deep thinker, wise, sensual, creative, ambitious, elegant, responsible, calm. Bad traits: bad communicator, possessive, hedonistic, self-doubting, distrustful, cold.
Horse: Good traits: Cheerful, popular, quick-witted, perceptive, talkative, intelligent, astute, flexible, open-minded. Bad traits: arrogant, anxious, rude, stubborn.
Ram: Good traits: Righteous, sincere, sympathetic, mild-mannered, artistic, gentle, understanding, determined, peaceful, generous. Bad traits: moody, indecisive, over-passive, worrier, pessimistic, over-sensitive, complainer.
Monkey: Good traits: Inventor, motivator, improviser, flexible, innovative, problem solver, artistic, polite, dignified, competitive, objective. Bad traits: vain, selfish, reckless, snobbish, deceptive, jealous.
Rooster: Good traits: Acute, neat, meticulous, organised, conservative, alert, practical, scientific. Bad traits: over-zealous, critical, puritanical, abrasive, given to empty bravado.
Dog: Good traits: Honest, intelligent, straightforward, loyal, attractive, amicable, unpretentious, sociable, easy going. Bad traits: cynical, lazy, cold, judgmental, quarrelsome.
Pig: Good traits: Gallant, sturdy, sociable, peace-loving, patient, loyal, understanding, thoughtful. Bad traits: Naive, over-reliant, self-indulgent, gullible, fatalistic, materialistic.
Rat: Good traits: Tenacious, intense, meticulous, charismatic, sensitive, hardworking, sociable. Bad traits: vindictive, self-destructive, selfish, obstinate, critical, ruthless, intolerant.
Ox: Good traits: Dependable, calm, methodical, leader, patient, steady, modest, logical. Bad traits: Stubborn, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, demanding.
Tiger: Good traits: Colourful, powerful, passionate, daring, stimulating, sincere, affectionate, generous. Bad traits: restless, impatient, quick-tempered, selfish, aggressive.