Celebrations galore: Chinese New Year welcomed in capital
Year of the Goat is the eighth animal in the 12 year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac calendar.
Some signature Chinese dishes included shrimp on toast, duck rolls, prawn bowls and glass noodles, among others. PHOTO: HUMA CHOUDHARY
ISLAMABAD:
Dragon dances greeted guests as they entered the corridor adorned with red buntings and silken chandeliers in a festive aura. To herald the Chinese New Year, or The Year of the Goat, a food festival was organised at the Marriott hotel on Monday evening.
Chinese Ambassador Sun Weiding inaugurated the event. “It’s a great chance for us to get together and since the Chinese New Year is coming, we would like to share our joy with all our Pakistani friends. May they enjoy peace and prosperity in this coming year. These are the best wishes from the Chinese people and from me,” he said, speaking to The Express Tribune.
Chefs demonstrated their culinary expertise to a sizeable gathering of diplomats, journalists and civil society members. Some of the signature Chinese dishes on the menu comprised golden mushroom cucumber salad, shrimp on toast, duck rolls, prawn bowls, beef in black pepper sauce, fish lemon, glass noodles, fruit cuts dipped in chocolate sauce.
“It’s a great evening with everyone here,” remarked Bosnian Ambassador Dr Nedim Makarevic. “We need this kind of cultural interaction. Since China is a strategic partner of Pakistan, both countries need to share the best from their cultures,” he added.
In his welcome address, Marriott Regional General Manager Hartmut Noack said The Year of the Goat is the eighth animal in the 12 year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac calendar.
In the Year of the Goat, which starts from Feb 18, brown, red and purple are the favourite colours and the lucky numbers are two, seven, twenty seven and thirty two. Meanwhile, the lucky flowers are carnation primrose, he elaborated.
Chinese New year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar and months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth when the moon is the brightest.
Tayyab Usmani and his crew of performers from a local mixed martial arts (MMA) club were behind the traditional dragon and lion dances and put up a fine show at the entrance of the hall.
Usmani, who is a national level player, said the performance was a part of their MMA fight routines and they geared at strengthening both mind and body.
The red dragon, with its fiery expression and traditional dance to the beating drums, was a highlight of the evening. Performed during new year celebrations, the lion and dragon dances are rituals in Chinese culture, dragons are symbols that are believed to bring good fortune to people.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 11th, 2015.
Dragon dances greeted guests as they entered the corridor adorned with red buntings and silken chandeliers in a festive aura. To herald the Chinese New Year, or The Year of the Goat, a food festival was organised at the Marriott hotel on Monday evening.
Chinese Ambassador Sun Weiding inaugurated the event. “It’s a great chance for us to get together and since the Chinese New Year is coming, we would like to share our joy with all our Pakistani friends. May they enjoy peace and prosperity in this coming year. These are the best wishes from the Chinese people and from me,” he said, speaking to The Express Tribune.
Chefs demonstrated their culinary expertise to a sizeable gathering of diplomats, journalists and civil society members. Some of the signature Chinese dishes on the menu comprised golden mushroom cucumber salad, shrimp on toast, duck rolls, prawn bowls, beef in black pepper sauce, fish lemon, glass noodles, fruit cuts dipped in chocolate sauce.
“It’s a great evening with everyone here,” remarked Bosnian Ambassador Dr Nedim Makarevic. “We need this kind of cultural interaction. Since China is a strategic partner of Pakistan, both countries need to share the best from their cultures,” he added.
In his welcome address, Marriott Regional General Manager Hartmut Noack said The Year of the Goat is the eighth animal in the 12 year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac calendar.
In the Year of the Goat, which starts from Feb 18, brown, red and purple are the favourite colours and the lucky numbers are two, seven, twenty seven and thirty two. Meanwhile, the lucky flowers are carnation primrose, he elaborated.
Chinese New year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar and months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth when the moon is the brightest.
Tayyab Usmani and his crew of performers from a local mixed martial arts (MMA) club were behind the traditional dragon and lion dances and put up a fine show at the entrance of the hall.
Usmani, who is a national level player, said the performance was a part of their MMA fight routines and they geared at strengthening both mind and body.
The red dragon, with its fiery expression and traditional dance to the beating drums, was a highlight of the evening. Performed during new year celebrations, the lion and dragon dances are rituals in Chinese culture, dragons are symbols that are believed to bring good fortune to people.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 11th, 2015.