According to the Chinese calendar, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, which holds significance to the people celebrating it. This led to more people joining as vendors.
A variety of new vendors joined the Chinese Cultural Centre to celebrate the annual Lunar New Year and experience Chinese culture on Sunday, Feb 4.
“I’ve seen a lot of different ethnic backgrounds so it’s quite interesting,” said first-time vendor Pennie Fong. “Even for the dances, we have different dances from different cultures.”
Fong joined the celebration to sell hats, key chains and games like mahjong. She says her first time was interesting and exciting due to a blend of different cultural backgrounds.
The event featured a collection of local businesses which promoted Chinese cultural products like jade accessories, good luck charms, traditional spices like red peppers, and herbal medicines.
The event opened with a dragon dance performance, setting an energetic mood for everybody.
One of the event’s highlights was the dance performance by multiple dance groups. The performers lit up the room with their colourful costumes and entertaining dance routines.
Lois Wong, a recent immigrant from Hong Kong, became a vendor at the Lunar New Year to share her passion and sell her homemade creations. Wong sells handmade pottery like mugs and keychains, as well as handmade jewelry.
“Sometimes people share their background and their story, which relates to mine,” said Wong.
“I think it’s important that we are celebrating Lunar New Year together.”
Close to the main stage, Iris Tang, another new vendor, patiently awaits new customers. Tang provides things like handmade jewelry, stickers and custom pet portraits. According to her father, Tang took part as a vendor to show her skills and sell her creative items and artworks.
Meanwhile, tucked away on the second floor from all the other vendors, Angela Ha has her face painting booth set up, as she makes children smile by applying colourful designs to their faces.
“We are doing face painting, it’s just like painting in general,” said Ha.
According to Ha, the Lunar New Year needs to be celebrated with diverse groups of people because of the significance it holds for Chinese people.
“It’s a celebration of my culture because I’m Chinese,” said Ha. “It’s really important because it’s the time we get together to share this new year.”
