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By Passant Hisham
KUWAIT: In a heartwarming gathering of the Chinese and Kuwaiti community, Chinese Cultural Center ushered the Lunar New Year, through cultural activities to summon positive energy and festive vibes of that solemn celebration.
The event, which took place on Thursday, welcomed diplomats, politicians, artists, and guests from all walks of life to engage in the traditional rituals of this day. As they joined hands to bid farewell to the past year and embrace the new one, attendees wrote their warm wishes, created unique art pieces through Chinese paper-cutting and Chinese paintings, and got to explore the authentic flavors of China’s food and drinks.
Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Zhang Jianwei said he felt delighted to reunite with his people and the Kuwaiti community to celebrate one of the most popular and important festivals since ancient time. “Amid all the current conflicts and wars happening around us, I wish that this festival will bring with it hope and happiness to all people of the world, as I wish for peace and stability to prevail,” he said.
Xia Jianfeng, cultural attache and director of the Chinese Cultural Center, echoed the significance of this day, as he believes it’s considered a legacy of mankind. “There is a cultural acceptance of this rich heritage around the globe, as the Chinese New Year was declared last year as a United Nations holiday,” he said in his opening speech.
He explained the meaningful messages behind each of the festivals’ rituals, starting with the wishes that were written on red paper. “Red color in our culture means auspicious, and when words are written on red paper that also means we are blessed,” he said. Even the choice of serving some Chinese dishes mostly eaten during this festival symbolized joyful meanings, such as “reunion, good luck, and prosperity,” he pointed out.
According to Xia, the yearly festival, which is also known as the Spring Festival, begins on Feb 10 and runs for around 15 days in China, where many other rituals take place, including fireworks, performing lion or dragon dances in the street, visiting relatives, and going to temples to pray for good fortune.
He ended his speech by welcoming two special guests of the event, Sheikha Dr Alanoud Al-Sabah, and Nora Al-Ajlan, who generously donated two of their Chinese artworks to the center. “We aspire for the cultural center to stay consistent in providing artistic and cultural activities that will teach people a lot about China’s history,” Dr Al-Sabah, who is a researcher in China Kuwait relations, said. “By participating in this event, I hope we can encourage more people to experience Chinese art.”
