Yokohama Chinatown Announces Its 24th Spring Festival, the Biggest ... - Consumer Electronics Net

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February 15, 2010 -- YOKOHAMA, Japan, BUSINESS WIRE --

Chun Jie, or "Spring Festival", represents the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, and Yokohama Chinatown celebrates it in style. Over 4000 fortune blessing flags and Lion Dance lanterns are illuminating the streets of Chinatown. The Symbolic Tree of Yamashitacho Park is radiating the light of countless illuminations, proclaiming the start of the New Year.

During this festive season, Chinatown celebrates the New Year with various performances. "Gorakuhyouen" temple concerts will be held in Yamashitacho Park on the 20th and 27th of February and will consist of two sessions each. The acrobatic performances of Chinatown's famous Lion Dance and Dragon Dance will start at 1pm, with the second half of the show featuring the first collaboration performance of four female Chinese artists. These performances entail the traditional art of Chinese dancing, singing, and classical instruments. Moreover, as the special guest of honor of this event, Chinatown will welcome the artist amin, goodwill ambassador of this year's Shanghai World Expo, to make a grand performance in Yamashitacho Park on the 27th from 12:00 noon.

The highlight of the Spring Festival is the parade of "shukumaiyukou", which will be performed on the 21st from 2pm. This parade is the best acknowledged event of the festival due to its grand scale and extravagant national costumes. This year, Chinatown proudly announces that the number of participants has doubled in comparison to the previous year, entailing over 220 members joining efforts to commemorate to this holiday. Lion Dance performers will include children from local nurseries, kindergartens, and students from junior high schools, all within Chinatown. Many people gather for this event for the performances, as they are famous for bringing luck when the Lions imitate nibbling the heads of the spectators.

The finale of the festival is marked with the candle light service in the sacred temple of Guandimiao on the 28th from 5:30pm. The ceremony also features Chinese spiritual dance performances to rejoice the New Year, symbolized by approximately 500 candles placed around the temple. Messages are written on these candles, to call upon the blessing of good harvest and happiness in the New Year.

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