Chinese New Year Festivities in Rotterdam and The Hague

If you’re living in the Netherlands and are fond of Chinese culture, you might be interested to know that Rotterdam and The Hague will be hosting their annual Chinese New Year celebrations in mid-February. Chinese New Year, otherwise referred to as the Spring Festival (春节), will be celebrated on February 14, 2010. For those of you who are interested in celebrating the Year of the Tiger in style, here are some details regarding the festivities in Rotterdam and The Hague.

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Rotterdam :

The Chinese New Year festivities will be held on Wednesday 17 February, 2010, from 12:00 to 18:45 in and around Wijkpark (not so handy for those of us who need to work!)

12:00-12:45 - Opening ceremony at Wijkpark, including a speech from the Chinese ambassador and performances of traditional dragon and lion dances.

13:00-14:00 - Childrens’ karaoke.

14:00-18:00 – Variety show, including performances of Chinese opera, traditional Chinese music and dance, and demonstrations of Tai Chi and other sports.

18:00-18:30 - Chinese lantern competition for primary school children.

18:30 – 18:45 – Closing ceremony and fireworks display.

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The Hague :

The Chinese New Year festivities in The Hague will be held at the Stadhuis and The Hague’s Chinatown starting from 11:30 on Saturday 13 February, 2010.

11:30-12:00 - Opening ceremony with dragon and lion dances (Stadhuis).

12:00-12:45 – Performances by the Jiangsu Song and Dance Ensemble (Stadhuis).

12:45-13:15 - Dragon and lion dances make their way to The Hague’s Chinatown (Stadhuis and Chinatown).

14:00-17:00 - Performances by the Jiangsu Song and Dance Ensemble (Stadhuis)

17:00-18:00 - Fireworks and performances by residents and business owners of Chinatown (Chinatown)

Other events to watch out for are the Chinese Arts and Culture Market, which will be held next to the Bijenkorf from 12:00 to 18:00, as well as a variety of workshops and demonstrations in and around the Stadhuis and Chinatown.

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NOTE : The information above has been taken from the Chineseradio.NL and Chinesecultuur.NL websites and is subject to change. Details of the festivities in Amsterdam will be posted once they have become available.

This was originally posted on my personal blog, Analects of Confusion.

Chinese New Year Festivities in Rotterdam and The Hague