At the Nanaimo Museum on Commercial Street, the Nanaimo Chinese Cultural Society and the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society are hosting an event  from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Admission is by donation.

Starting at 1pm the entertainment includes: an opening lion dance, Guzheng, Tail Ji, calligraphy, Chinese traditional drama – peacock flying to south-east, traditional Chinese songs, traditional Chinese dance – TaoYao and the closing lion dance.

While you’re there, have fun trying some calligraphy, paper arts, and playing mahjong.
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As well, the Nanaimo Art Gallery is celebrating both Robbie Burns Day and Chinese New Year with an event called Gung Hei Haggis or Xin Nian Haggis. This event takes place at the Bowen Auditorium in Bowen Park Saturday, January 21st from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

You can enjoy a Chinese/Scottish buffet and watch a bagpiper procession bring in a haggis. Entertainment will include piping and Highland dancing, a lion dance, Peking opera and Chinese folk dancing.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children and are available at the Nanaimo Art Gallery downtown at 150 Commercial St, and at McLean’s Specialty Foods at 426 Fitzwilliam Street in the Old City Quarter or by calling the Nanaimo Chinese Language and Art Centre at 250-729-9948.

Chinese New Year trivia: the Lunar calendar has a cycle of about 29.5 days and they insert an extra month in once every few years, resulting the Chinese New Year to fall on a different date each year. This is the year of the Dragon which is the mightiest of the signs in the Chinese Zodiac. Dragons symbolize such character traits as dominance and ambition.

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Mid Island News

Lucky Chinese Door Talisman

Best Wishes and Congratulations to everyone celebrating the New Year, the year of the Ox.   Here is a lucky calligraphic pictogram of a door talisman you can draw out and put by an interior door for good luck!

Mid Island News