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Archive for the ‘Chinese New Year’ Category

In the Bin Yang region of Nanning, Guangxi, China, they celebrate each Chinese New Year with a famous festival.

Held on the 11^th day of the Chinese New Year (also known as the Lunar New Year, or in China, just “The New Year”) Bin Yang is the central attraction of the whole province bringing in half a million locals and visitors to the region to join in the celebrations which include parades, floats (very American), lantern festival and of course the dragon dance in firecrackers.

This local festival has a centuries old history attached to it with its beginnings in the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279), the development into something closer to what we see today happened during the Ming Dynasty (1368 -1644) and finding its place in history and in the cultural calendars of China in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911). In other words, it did not happen overnight. This is a festival that has grown and developed over the centuries to become what it is today and is steeped in history and culture. This is what has made the Bin Yang Firecracker Dragon Festival so intense and famous across China.

Now let’s see some firecracker dragon dancing!

Taipei Lantern Festival 2010 Sunday night closed with firework show, bringing 6 million visitors together during the 10-day session.

In the closing ceremony, fireworks lightened up the sky of Taipei, combining with water dance, laser lighting effect and floral fragrance to create a visual and acoustic feast.

The main lantern this year is “Tiger Hoki,” modeling the yearly Chinese animal sign, which means “fortunate Tiger” that would bring good fortune to this country.

In response to citizens’ wish to extend the installation of Tiger Hoki, Huang Lu Ching-ju, Commissioner of Department of Civil Affairs under Taipei City Government (TCG) said the main lantern would be relocated to the lawn area in front of Zih Ciang owing to high maintain costs.

The Lantern Festival, falling on the 15th day of the first lunar month, was widely celebrated in Taiwan from north to south, with different styles, such as the release of sky lantern in Pingsi, Taipei County, beehive firecrackers in Yanshui in Tainan County and Bombing Handan in Taitung.

This video is a great example of how not to behave if your fireworks stand decides to explode all around you.

rule 1. do not go back to the fireworks

rule 2. do not hang around

rule 3. do not assume that pulling a tarpaulin over the back of your truck will stop the fireworks in it blowing up

rule 4. for the love of god just run!

Counting fingers.

The New Year festival in China this year had fewer accidents than last year according to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. Festivities took place all across China between the 13^th and 19^th February and in that time private parties and celebrations across China caused a total of 1,626 recorded accidents. This does sound like a lot but remember this is a country with about 1.3 Billion people in it, when you think of it like that; it doesn’t seem so bad and is apparently down 3.3% on last year.

Until you think of this, 11 deaths. 11 people died that week due to firework mishaps. Makes you think what the reaction would be like in the UK if 1 person died during Bonfire Night. Yet in China it is accepted as the norm. Although we must bear in mind that almost everyman and his dog set off fireworks in China. It’s ingrained in the culture since long before we had even heard of gunpowder in this country. So who are we to argue? Still with all these deaths and injuries and accidents you do have to wonder what is causing them all.

Well apparently, its firecrackers.

The majority of accidents were caused by firecrackers being handled incorrectly; this is despite increased efforts by police forces nationwide to monitor the production, transportation, storage and sale of this extremely popular form of fireworks. The key thing to note here is it is not through faulty firecrackers, it is through faulty use.

So it seems that the injuries and accidents come from the same source they do all round the world. Not through people using fireworks, but using them irresponsibly. The solution is not to ban firecrackers (good luck getting a ban in China, firecrackers have been used there for many centuries to scare off evil demons), rather the solution is to educate people on how to better use fireworks and make them safer, and therefore more enjoyable for everyone involved.

All too often a product is banned because it has been inappropriately used by someone. You cannot blame a gun for shooting someone nor a car for hitting a pedestrian, but all to often we hear people saying fireworks should be banned because someone has been injured. We all want to reduce accidents and make the world a safer place. The best way to make it safer is through education. Maybe we have something to learn still from the Chinese, the ancient culture that gave the world fireworks in the first place.

The capital’s Chinese New Year celebrations are set to transform central London on Sunday 21 February 2010.

Visitors to Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and London Chinatown will be able to welcome in the Year of the Tiger in spectacular style – with Chinese arts and entertainment from international and home-grown artists, and food, firecrackers and fireworks.

In Trafalgar Square, two groups from China will perform world-class dance, music and acrobatics after an official opening ceremony. There will also be firecrackers, Chinese dragons, lions and Chinese acrobatics.

Meanwhile, in a specially decorated Chinatown there will be cultural stalls, food and lion dance displays. Shaftesbury Avenue will become ‘Hong Kong in London Chinatown’ with a stage featuring performances by local Chinese artists.

A colourful fireworks display in Leicester Square will close the celebrations. Running orders (subject to change)

Trafalgar Square Stage

• 11:15 Firecrackers
• 12:00 Opening ceremony begins with speeches
• 12:30 Doting Dragon’s Eyes
• 12:45 Dragon Dance
• 12:55 Lion Dance performance
• 13:10 Dance, music, acrobatics, martial arts performances by visiting Chinese artists
• 18:00 Ends

Chinatown

• 12:00-18:00 Lion dances around Chinatown and Shaftesbury Avenue
• 12:00-18:00 haftesbury Avenue Stage – Hong Kong In London Chinatown
• 12:00-16:00 Performances by local Chinese artists

Leicester Square

• 17:55 Fireworks and firecrackers

All locations

• 12:00-17:00 Stalls with a variety of wares

For further information please click here.

Fireworks set off to mark the Lunar New Year started a blaze that destroyed a 1600-year-old city gate in northern China.

No deaths or injuries were reported in Friday’s fire, which gutted the restored structure on the city wall of Zhengding, about 250 kilometres southwest of the capital Beijing, the China Daily newspaper reported on Saturday.

Financial losses were estimated at one million yuan ($A166,000), the paper said.

The gate was originally built in the fifth century and heavily restored in 2001 at a cost of 4 million yuan ($A665,000), the paper said.

Zhengding, which sits in the southern part of Hebei province, is famed among Chinese tourists for its ancient houses and Buddhist temples.

The fire was reminiscent of the inferno that destroyed a nearly completed hotel adjacent to state broadcaster CCTV’s landmark new office building in downtown Beijing, leaving one firefighter dead.

The February 9, 2009 blaze was sparked by an illegal fireworks display ordered by a top executive, now among 44 people facing criminal prosecution. Another 27 others have been given administrative punishments, and the broadcaster ordered to pay a 3 million yuan ($A500,000).

One year on, the luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel remains a charred wreck and CCTV has yet to announce when it will move into its new Z-shaped headquarters – a project that helped transform the capital’s skyline for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

For further information please click the links below.

Fireworks destroy ancient tower in Hebei

New Year fireworks take heavy toll

Fire destroys ancient Zhengding County gate

To celebrate the Chinese New Year 2010 watch the Hong Kong fireworks on Earth TV’s webcam.

The fireworks over Victoria Harbour take place at 12pm British time on Monday 15 February, one day after the start of the Lunar New Year.

Thousands of people pack onto the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront to watch the firework display, which is totally controlled by computer.

Just click the link below to see the amazing skyline of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour.

2010 is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar.

You can also watch Rio Carnival 2010 webcams online this weekend.

To visit other cities online check out our Around the World in 80 Webcams feature.

Chinese New Year 2010 live online -  watch Hong Kong fireworks

See the West End fizz into life at the fireworks display at Leicester Square, which takes place to celebrate Chinese New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Tiger.

Fizz, bang and pop
Part of a day of public celebrations for Chinese New Year, the fireworks display at Leicester Square aims to get the Year of the Tiger off to a flying start with a free pyrotechnics display. Fireworks are a traditional part of Chinese New celebrations, and the free display in the West End are bound to draw Londoners in their thousands.

Year of the Tiger
Although Chinese New Year actually falls on the 14th February for 2010, London will be officially celebrating the start of the Year of the Tiger the weekend after with a series of city wide public events. As well as the spectacular fireworks display at Leicester Square, there’ll be lion dances and music in Trafalgar Square, celebrations in Chinatown and special menus in Chinese restaurants across London.

Grand finale
As with past years, the fireworks display at Leicester Square is the grand finale of a day long celebration for Chinese New Year in London. There’ll be parades and performances taking place throughout Central London, focusing on the area around Trafalgar Square and Chinatown.

Events for kids
The West End fireworks are bound to be a big hit with Londoners of all ages, but there’s also a special programme of arts and crafts events taking place at museums and galleries across the city to entertain children too. Running throughout half term, there’s mask and flag making workshops, tiger photo exhibitions and much more to see and do.

Beijingers were fired up about fireworks yesterday when 671 licensed pyrotechnics suppliers opened for business within the Fifth Ring Road.

Many customers were eager to get their hands on some decorative explosives – even if some had their enthusiasm extinguished by the cost.

“There were customers waiting for us before we opened our counter at 9 am this morning,” said a female storeowner, surnamed Chen, from her business near the Ito Yokado store on the North Fourth Ring Road.

“Customers have been coming in throughout the morning,” she said.

“Most of them were kids who came and bought some less powerful fireworks. We are open until 9pm, so most parents are likely to drop by after work,” she added. Around 30 customers stopped by the store while METRO was there to check out the merchandise, although only two bought items, spending around 500 yuan.

“I think I could not get as many fireworks this year as I did last year for the same money, the price is higher,” said a female customer who spent 300 yuan on firecrackers. “My husband and son like setting off fireworks on Chinese New Year’s Eve, so I just bought some for them.”

A male customer agreed that the price was a little steep.

“I feel most fireworks are more expensive than last year,” said the man, who was in his mid 40s, after browsing for about 20 minutes.

According to the municipal government’s fireworks regulations, the shops can stay open until Feb 28.

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Chinese New Year is celebrated around the globe but Hong Kong still lays claim to the world’s biggest party. The region’s two-week event — to usher in the Year of the Tiger — is a fusion of ancient customs and contemporary fun that includes a spectacular parade, performances, fireworks, flower markets, sporting events and tours.

The hoopla starts Feb. 14 when the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade — with its ornate floats, marching bands, cheerleaders, acrobats, costumed characters, and of course, the Tiger mascot — weaves its way through Tsim Sha Tsui.

Organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the parade was a 2007 “Best Value Entertainment Around the World” pick by Lonely Planet Bluelist. It continues to be a show-stopper with 40 troupes of performers this year.

About 18 groups are making their festival debut including such famous entertainers as the Notting Hill Carnival from the U.K., Morioka Sansa Odori Dance from Japan, the Arezzo Flag Wavers from Italy, and the Paris Firemen from France. Also appearing are Dance Ensemble Siverco from Russia, Tropidanza and the San Diego Chargers Girls from the U.S., and Tiger Bank from Switzerland.

As this year’s theme is Festive Hong Kong 2010 and the four seasons, the parade route will be lined with whimsical decorations — giant Chinese buns, pumpkins, Santa Claus — symbolizing the region’s Chinese and Western heritage and festivals.

After the parade, performances will take place — and the floats will be on display — from the second to the eighth day of the Lunar New Year in Tsim Sha Tsui, Sha Tin and Tai Po.

Flowers are integral to the celebrations and the colourful flower market is at its best. New Year’s blooms include fragrant narcissus and peonies for prosperity, plum blossoms to strengthen romance, tangerine plants for marital bliss, and kumquat trees for success in businesses.

As New Year is also a time for looking back, it is customary to give thanks for the past 12 months and pray for good fortune in the coming year. Visitors can share these traditions on a Fortune-Seeking Trip, joining the crowds as they make a pilgrimage to fortune tellers, visit temples to pray and, finally, spin the Wheel of Fortune and tie a wish on Wishing Trees.

Another custom is buying clothes and shoes to symbol ize a fresh start. Everyone can join their Hong Kong friends in shopping — perhaps buying a cheongsam or silk padded coat in red to bring luck and ward off evil spirits.

New Year’s feasts include a whole fish, which represents abundance and togetherness; oysters, whose name in Chinese sounds like “good things,” sesame balls and oil dumplings for wealth. The latter, shaped like early gold ingots, are believed to bring unexpected fortunes.

MORE INFORMATION

The parade starts at 8 p.m. at Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza and proceeds along Canton Rd., Nathan Rd. and major arteries in Tsim Sha Tsui, stopping at two performing zones, before finishing at New World Centre. There are plenty of places for free viewing along the route. Stadium seats at the Cultural Centre Piazza are $24-$41.