Coles has failed in its attempt to help customers celebrate the Year of the Monkey after it was revealed their lucky bamboo plants are labelled with last year’s Chinese zodiac word “goat”.
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It runs Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. with lunar festival celebrations and wraps up Sunday at 9:30 p.m. with a Lunar New Year’s Eve Countdown Bash, with special guest Lee Lung Kei.
In addition to the crafts and storytelling, EPL announced it will also host the traditional Lion Dance parade, which is performed to commemorate the Chinese New Year.
Mandarin oranges are the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year.
The Lunar New Year draws near, and Amy Wong Mok, founder and CEO of the Asian American Cultural Center on Jollyville Road, said the center will celebrate 2016-the year of the red fire monkey-on February 3 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. With a focus on family, food, rituals and gifts, it might appear to have similarities to our Western Christmas and New Year, but scratch beneath the surface and there are many different customs and a major focus on good-luck symbols.
“It’ll be a lot of delicious food”.
Cabinet member for culture, leisure and wellbeing Louise Gittins said: “I would like to wish everyone a very happy year of the Monkey. We’re getting plenty of seniors wanting them, too”.
The cultural centre is hosting the dinner in partnership with the Winnipeg Chinatown Development Corporation and the Manitoba Chinese Benevolent Association. Nearly everyone goes shopping for new clothing to totally start the year out fresh. I’m not usually superstitious but as the publication date of Brushstrokes in Time is on Feb 2 and is close to Chinese New Year, I’m taking no chances! Qu Leilei the Beijing born but now Wimbledon based artist who inspired my novel takes pleasure in a simple New Year celebration.
Prosperity was the message brought by the whole sea bass flambéed right on our table.
What is it this Chinese New Year then?
To mark the celebrations, the mall is giving away inflatable bananas each day until February 8; At a random time during the day, mall staff will be handing out a limited number of the two-and-a-half foot long Best of Luck Bananas.
Even though the Chinese have adopted the Gregorian calendar used by the rest of the world, their traditional calendar is used for celebrations, festivals and horoscopes.
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Each day has its own celebration, which culminated with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day, when red lanterns are released into the sky.
