Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Ringing in 2021’s Lunar New Year will be a much quieter affair for Victoria’s Chinese community.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Wong Sheung Kung Fu Club are celebrating Chinese New Year virtually this year.
“Filmed safely with as much New Years spirit as we could fit into one video for you to enjoy safely in the comfort of your own home,” the club said in its description on the video.
The 26 minute video features new year traditions like the lion dance, martial arts demonstrations and clips from previous years from Canada’s oldest Chinatown and the second oldest in North America after San Francisco’s.
Victoria’s Chinatown had its beginnings in the mid-nineteenth century in the mass influx of miners from California to what is now British Columbia in 1858.
2021 is a year of the Ox, starting from February 12th, 2021 (Chinese lunar New Year Day) and lasting until January 31st, 2022.
The ox, in Chinese culture, is a hardworking zodiac sign. It usually signifies movements so, hopefully, the world will be less static than last year and get moving again in the second half of the year.
Enjoy the video and hopefully by this time next year, we will be celebrating in person.
In order to maintain traditions and culture and give some sort of normalcy this year, Wong Sheung Kung Fu Club said the video is a good way to give back to the community and still allow people to enjoy Chinese New Year.
