Liverpool brings in the:- 'Year of the Snake'

THIS year the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) celebrations started on:- Wednesday, 29 January 2025 with the climax being the Lantern Festival, on:- 12 February 2025. In Liverpool, the public celebrations of the new lunisolar Chinese calendar year, 4722, started on:- Saturday 1 February, and ran until:- Sunday 2 February 2025.

This year's celebrations held by Liverpool's Chinese Community included the traditional dragon, lion, and unicorn parades and dances, along with the setting off firecrackers to scare away bad spirits. Some building were also decorated the house with flowers, and St Luke's Bombed Out Church also had light shows projected on to it. Plus, many of Liverpool's other cultural arts venues also had lots of Lunar New Year celebrations taking part within them.

Most of Europe's oldest Chinatown's celebratory events were free, including many of the major performances and workshops within and around the world-famous Chinatown.

If you are unaware, Chinatown is the local name for an area in the South part of the Liverpool City Centre that has been home to Liverpool's Chinese community for more than 200 years.

This included many displays on Liverpool Chinatown's Great George Square, including the fantastic return of Liverpool's very own:- Bring the Fire Project, who put on a spectacular fire production:- 'Serpentine Flames - A Fiery Tribute to the Year of the Snake' on:- Sunday, 2 February 2025.

We popped along to see the events taking place on:- Sunday, 2 February 2025. These are some of the photographs and videos we took at the annual celebrations this year. More photos can be found on the following:- 2 Pages within this edition.

It is worth adding that Liverpool Chinatown's Paifang, on Nelson Street, which is the largest multiple-span arch of its kind outside China, will be joined by 2 huge stone lions later this year after being donated by the Chinese Consulate General. They are currently being shipped to Liverpool from Shanghai.  Let's hope the new addition will help reverse the area's fortunes, along with the planned investment, which will significantly boost the area's fortunes.

Did you know that the date of Lunar New Year differs every year? A Lunar New Year (Chinese Calendar) is lunar solar, its year consisting of 12 months of alternately 29 and 30 days, equal to 354 days, or approximately 12 full lunar cycles? Also, that the:- 'Snake' symbolises:- intuition, intelligence and mystery!

If you attended the event, please do let us know your thoughts on what you thought about it... Did you enjoy it? Email our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com or send us a message on:- Mastodon, Facebook, or Twitter and let us know.

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