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To celebrate the Spring Lantern Festival, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will hold three lantern carnivals between February 22 and 24 in addition to its lantern display "Treasures Fill the City", which is running now, and "Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage - Exhibition on Craftsmanship of Lantern Making", which starts tomorrow (February 21). Admission to the lantern displays and carnivals is free.
The three lantern carnivals will be held at Tsing Yi Park, Fanling Recreation Ground and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC) Piazza on February 22, 23 and 24 respectively. Festive lantern installations at the three venues will also be on display from tomorrow to February 24.
Apart from featuring colourful lantern installations, the lantern carnivals will include a range of entertainment. Supported by the Office for Cultural Affairs with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Regions, Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China, the Yunnan Honghezhou Song and Dance Troupe will showcase spectacular folk songs and dances in three lantern carnivals.
Chinese folk crafts from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau will also be featured. These include Shantou's inside-bottle painting, Foshan's traditional paper cutting, Wuhua's string puppetry and Macau's traditional Chinese lantern craft, and a demonstration of traditional Cantonese opera make-up and costuming will be given by a local group.
Details of the three lantern carnivals are as follows:
1. New Territories West Lunar New Year Lantern Carnival
Date and time: February 22 (Friday),
7.30pm to 10.30pm
Venue: Tsing Yi Park
Programme: Spectacular ethnic songs and dances,
Chinese folk crafts demonstrations,
Chinese instrumental music crossover
with sand painting, children's
Cantonese operatic songs, outdoor film
screening, handicrafts workshops and
lantern quiz.
2. New Territories East Lunar New Year Lantern Carnival
Date and time: February 23 (Saturday),
7.30pm to 10.30pm
Venue: Fanling Recreation Ground
Programme: Spectacular ethnic songs and dances,
Chinese folk crafts demonstrations,
performances by youth organisations,
acrobatics, game stalls, handicraft
workshops, wish-making corner,
lantern quiz and roving entertainment.
3. Urban Lunar New Year Lantern Carnival
Date and time: February 24 (Sunday),
7.30pm to 10.30pm
Venue: HKCC Piazza
Programme: Spectacular ethnic songs and dances,
Chinese folk crafts demonstrations,
Cantonese opera performances, lion
dance, orchestral performance,
handicrafts workshops, wish-making
corner, lantern quiz and roving
entertainment.
Organised by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, "Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage - Exhibition on Craftsmanship of Lantern Making" will run in the HKCC Piazza from tomorrow until March 3. A five-level giant revolving lantern, about nine metres high and handcrafted by local master artisans, is featured in the exhibition. With a giant lotus sitting on the top, the lantern has three levels in the middle part that are constantly revolving and painted with Chinese landscapes, flowers, carp and more. Each corner eave at the octagon-shaped levels is decorated with exquisitely made miniature "palace lanterns". Using ingenious designs and superb craftsmanship, the master crafters have made a stunning revolving lantern out of simple bamboo strips and silk fabric in different colours.
Another thematic lantern display, "Treasures Fill the City", featuring different gods of fortune such as the God of Prosperity Bi Gan, the Five Road Gods and the Earth God Tu Di Gong will continue to light up the HKCC Piazza until March 17. The gods of fortune are the most popular deities for the Chinese. They represent not only wealth but also the traditional Chinese values of giving and sharing.
For more information on the above events, please call 2591 1340 or visit the website: www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Entertainment/EntertainmentOffice/en/about/index.html.
Ends/Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:00
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