Chinese bring in the new year

Jan 26 2009 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Chinese bring in the new year; pictures

HUNDREDS of people welcomed the start of the Year of the Ox at the weekend.

More than 600 people attended Chinese New Year celebrations at the National Children’s Centre on New North Parade, Huddersfield, on Saturday.

They enjoyed Chinese food, music, dance and martial arts.

Sui Cheung, manager of Huddersfield Chinese Community Centre, helped organise the event. She said: “We were very pleased with how the day went. There were hundreds of people there, not just Chinese, but white and other ethnic minority people as well.

“It was a way for us to celebrate our culture and bridge the gap between ourselves and other groups.”

Sui explained the significance of Chinese New Year. She said: “It’s the first day of the first month by the lunar calendar and traditionally it was a celebration of a successful harvest.”

The Year of the Ox officially starts today, but Huddersfield Chinese Community Centre members decided to move the celebrations.

Sui said: “We wanted to hold the event on a Saturday so the children could come along.”

The fun started at 11.30am with a performance by Sheffield Lion Dancers, followed by a tai chi demonstration led by instructor Ye Jin.