Crowds flock to Chinese New Year celebrations in Durham as parade brings colour and joy to city

Crowds flock to Chinese New Year celebrations in Durham as parade brings colour and joy to city

Crowds flocked to Durham City Centre to watch the colourful and creative Chinese New Year celebrations.

A centrepiece lion dance, free children’s activities and a Chinese tea ceremony were among the attractions at this year’s Lunar New Year celebrations, which kick started the Year of the Snake. The annual event brought the city centre alive with sound and colour and played out across several venues including the Oriental Museum and Clayport Library.

Food was on sale in the Market Place as the much-loved traditional lion dance kicked off a procession through the streets. Durham’s plans for Lunar New Year – otherwise called Chinese New Year – always feature a day-long party with music, dance and community crafts from 10am until 4pm and today was no different.

The lion dance, which started outside Gala Theatre in Millennium Square, is about bringing good luck for the year ahead and, to help ensure this is the case, it included the throwing of a ‘lucky lettuce’ – which the mayor had the task of catching.

The lion then then led the procession through the streets as crowds watched on.

View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/gallery/crowds-flock-chinese-new-year-30915047

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