A grand Chinese New Year celebration set in Dagupan
ENTER the Dragon.
Dagupan City, home to generations of many Filipino-Chinese families, is welcoming the Year of the Water Dragon on January 23 with a grand festivity anchored on the theme “Understanding the Chinese Culture”.
Mayor Benjamin Lim called on all Dagupeños to take part in the celebration that will start with an afternoon parade participated in by the different Chinese associations in the city, frontlined by the dragon and lion dancers from the Philippine Kian Tiak Institute of Tarlac City.
Convenor-organizer Lelia Chua-Sy said the festivity, jointly organized by the city government and the Filipino-Chinese community, is “the time for Filipinos in our city to be part of the celebration and mingle with us (the Filipino-Chinese)”.
Parts of the city have been adorned with symbolic dragon decorations, lanterns, and lampposts with the traditional greeting “Kung Hei Fat Choi” meaning “May prosperity be with you!”
The Festival Tree of Peace in front of the Museo na Dagupan, set up for the Christmas season, has been re-decorated with Chinese Lunar New Year decors.
The Dragon and Lion dance, the occasion’s highlight, will make whistle-stops in front of establishments to spread good fortune according to Chinese custom.
The establishments, in turn, are expected to give the participating dancers red envelopes –called ang pao in Min Nan, hongbao in Mandarin, and sai see in Cantonese – containing cash gifts.
The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits.
After the parade, a commemorative program will be held at the plaza featuring presentations from the Pangasinan Universal Institute and Oakridge International School, to be capped by a fireworks display.
Rice cakes called neen gow in Chinese and locally known as tikoy will be raffled off. The chewy cake, the symbolic cake for the Chinese New Year, contains glutinous rice flour to symbolize cohesiveness and peen tong brown candy to represent the sweetness of life.
A whole-day Chinese food fair showcasing famous recipes offered by local Chinese restaurants and a lucky charm merchandise bazaar will also be put up at the Senior Citizens Park in the city plaza.
January 23 has been declared a national holiday. (CIO)
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