Earlier this year, Wintringham’s fast-growing, diverse community celebrated the Lunar New Year with Chinese music, traditional craft activities including calligraphy, 3D jigsaws and origami, dragon dress up and dancing, horoscope readings and lantern painting.
The Lunar New Year event saw the main hall of Wintringham Primary Academy decorated in red – the colour associated with good luck and happiness – with lanterns and elaborate decorations adorning the room to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.
On arrival, attendees were met with a traditional welcome and given an orange and a red envelope (Hongbao), which is customary as a gesture of goodwill and blessings. Volunteers were on hand with a selection of drinks and a tempting menu of Asian cuisine was available on the plaza.
Members of the Wintringham Residents’ Association and the Chinese community, supported by Christine Littlewood, saw the event evolve over nine months: from a chance conversation, to setting up a ‘Team Lunar New Year’ WhatsApp group, a growing and enthusiastic group of volunteers helped create a fantastic event that everyone enjoyed.
Following the success of this year’s events, plans for next year’s Lunar New Year celebrations are already well underway!