By IANS,
Kolkata : Lion dance, beautifully lit streets, and sumptuous Chinese food marked the Chinese New Year celebrations here organised by members of the community settled in Kolkata for decades.
The Chinese New Year 4709, the year of the metal-rabbit, was celebrated Wednesday with much fanfare in east Kolkata’s Tangra area.
The culture and welfare department of The Indian Chinese Association kicked off the festivities Jan 30 with traditional lion dance show at Territi Bazar.
Lion dances were also organised at Tangra area Feb 1-2.
“Lion dance, get together parties are the traditional ways we usher in the New Year. After the party, we sit together and do something together to welcome the New Year,” said Paul Chung, president (culture, welfare and development) of The Indian Chinese Association.
“We are also organiSing a fete and dance party at Pei Moi Chinese School in Tangra Bazar as part of our New year celebrations,” said Chung.
The streets of Tangra looked resplendent with bright electrical lights, twinklers and beautiful Chinese signs.
The eastern metropolis has the highest concentration of Chinese people in India and just before the Sino-Indian War broke out in 1962, the community was 30,000 strong, with most of them setting up in Tangra, which came to be known as ‘China Town’.
But the steady stream of people leaving over the years has resulted in the Chinese population dwindle to 4,000.