Happy year of the Pig, Victoria!
If you’re seeing lots of red envelopes being passed around today, it’s because February 5th marks the New Year of the Chinese lunar calendar.
To help ring in the New Year, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) and the Wong Sheung Hung Fut Kung Fu Club are holding their annual Dragon Parade at the Gates of Harmonious Interest in Victoria’s Chinatown, the oldest in the country.
The parade will run from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. and will include the Dragon march, fan dancers, a Lion Dance, and kung fu demonstrations. During the celebration, the 500 block of Fisgard street will be closed to vehicle traffic from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and nearby streets will be closed and reopened as the parade goes by.
The Wong Sheung Hung Fut Kung Fu Club has been performing the Lion Dance in Victoria for over 40 years. It is a registered non-profit club, meaning all of the dancers and martial arts teachers are volunteers.
It is also the only place in Canada that teaches this specific style of left-handed Kung Fu.
This year’s parade will feature 8 different decorated lions.
Year of the Pig
2019 marks the year of the Pig – the 12th and last animal in the Chinese zodiac.
According to ChineseNewYear.net, those born under this zodiac (1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019) are realists who are ready to take action rather than just talk about it.
They’re also known for working hard and playing hard, they’re motivated workers who also like to spend their hard earned cash on treating themselves.
Chinese New Year Lion Dancd Parade
When: Sunday, February 10th, noon – 3:00 p.m.
Where: Gates of Harmonious Interest – Chinatown, Intersection of Fisgard and Government Streets
