[BCMA] a very special Valentine's Day mixed with Chinese New Year

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

For Immediate Release 

January 26, 2016 

 

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden celebrates Chinese New Year, Year
of the Fire Monkey: Feb 14, 2016 10am-4pm

 

Tickets by donation. Suggested donation: $5

For tickets:   <https://monkey-temple-fair.eventbrite.ca>
https://monkey-temple-fair.eventbrite.ca

 

 

To celebrate traditional Chinese New Year, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical
Chinese Garden presents The Year of the Monkey Temple Fair, a one-day
festival on Sunday, February 14th, 2016. It is a community event based on
the 4000-year-old Chinese tradition of the Spring Festival, the largest and
the most important festival of the year in Chinese tradition.

 

The Garden will present dynamic and engaging Chinese and multicultural music
and dance performances, martial arts demonstrations, traditional Chinese New
Year customs, games and activities for the whole family. The festival is the
opportunity for the Chinese community to share its cultural traditions and
invite the wider public to participate in it. 

 

As for the sign of Monkey - it's been said that people born under the sign
of Monkey are highly adaptable and versatile. Enthusiastic about everything,
they spend their time broadening their minds and are especially fascinated
with art. They like refinement, originality and luxury. Inventive and
intelligent, those born in these years can solve most problems quickly and
skillfully, and are able to accomplish much in business.

                                    ------------------------

What to expect at this Temple Fair 

Tai Chi, BC Chinese Opera performances, Chinese papercutting demonstrations,
lion dance and Kung Fu performances, traditional burning of incense and
hanging wishes on a tree, Gong Fu Tea service, chopstick games, lucky coin
tossing, Feng Shui fortune readings, and much more. 


There will be traditional food such as: 

Sugar-dipped fruit candy 

Dumplings (insert Chinese name)

Chinese burgers

Corn-in-a-cup

Special spicy tea 

 

AND Market in the Hall of Hundred Rivers.

                                    --------------------------------

History:

 

The Miaohui, or temple fair, is a traditional celebration of the lunar New
Year. It originated from Taoism, a Chinese religion. Some believe that it
benefited from the opposition between Buddhism and Taoism, two major
religions of China which were in full swing during the Tang and Song
Dynasties. Their contention mainly focused on building more temples and
attracting more followers. Elaborate rituals and religious activities
including the worship of gods, incense burning, folk performances and
festivals were carried out regularly around the temples. One of the
stand-out features of the event is Xingfo (Buddhist Parade) in which a
figure of Buddha was put on a highly decorated float and paraded through the
streets. On the anniversary of Sakyamuni's birthday, over 1,000 Buddha
figures would be displayed. This later developed into a kind of carnival
which involved lion dancing, stage operas, acrobatic shows, and other
activities.  

 

The gradual secularization of religious activities not only helped
popularize Taoism and Buddhism, it has also encouraged commercial dealings
among the collective activities. However, it was the Ming and Qing Dynasties
or even modern times before massive commercial trading became an important
part of Miaohui, as it was once called Miaoshi (market in temple grounds).
Miaohui gradually evolved into a place where people gathered for various
kinds of folk performances and trading. In many parts of China, attending a
Miaohui is an indispensable part of the New Year celebration. (Source:
<http://www.china.org.cn/english/travel/>
http://www.china.org.cn/english/travel/)

 

 

Media Contact:

 



 

  578 Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K2

 

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