Chinese New Year & Spring Festival Celebrated in Berlin
Good news for lovers of horoscopes and Chinese culture: 2020 is the Year of the Rat and will be officially inaugurated in China on January 25, accompanied by 15 days of celebrations and holidays. Chinese New Year is one of the country's main holidays, also referred to as the celebration of spring that is associated with the renewal of life and nature. Those born in the Year of the Rat are successful, witty, energetic and optimistic, yet stubborn and may at time appear impolite or rude due to lack of communication skills. Rats are associated with the yang symbol. Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the zodiac animals order would be decided by the order in which animals arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, coming in first. In Chinese culture, rats were seen as signs of reproduction and wealth.
On January 9 and 10, Chinese arts and crafts experts organized a fantastic presentation of centuries old Chinese cultural tradition in Berlin. These annual celebrations have already become a tradition in Berlin, loved and anticipated by both China lovers and city communities. The event was opened with the ceremonial dance of the magic Chinese dragons ushering in the new year with fiery grace and immense elegance. Handmade authentic costumes worn by folk dancers made their performances look like a fairy-tale come true. Vigorous rhythmic choreography, harmony of movements, grace and originality made an unforgettable impression on the public. The thousand-year-old tradition of martial arts was revived by performers in special attire with fans and sables. The sable dance was particularly exciting to look at and to wonder at the graceful precision of movements.
Singers and performers of traditional Chinese music instruments added a joyful festive character to the event, while acrobats balancing on shoulders with lightness and ease left the public speechless and delighted. The festivities program included a demonstration of Chinese calligraphy, where anyone could have their name written in Chinese on a piece of paper and get it framed, and a crash course in the Chinese language.
The festive celebration of the Chinese New Year was organized by the Chinese Cultural Center in Berlin in cooperation with the City Municipality in Europa Center Mall, where guests were welcome to attend the celebrations and enjoy the live performances free of charge during the two days of the festival – an extraordinarily generous gift to all who joined in! One could see the admiration and excitement in the eyes of the public watching the talented performers who came from China to show the best of their talent, and what better reward could one ever think of than a happy smile and applause of sincerely enthusiastic crowds of spectators gathered in one of Berlin's most beautiful shopping malls inspired by the architecture and design styles of the good old sixties?
By Lily Fürstenow
Image source: socialnews.xyz