A HONG KONG KIND OF FEBRUARY
The best Chinese New Year celebrations in town and more
CYMBAL-CRASHING IN the streets; fragrant plumes of joss stick smoke; red lai see packets and oranges everywhere you look? Yep, it must be Chinese New Year. In 2019, we welcome the Year of the Pig and, according to the almanacs, it’s set to be a year of joy and prosperity for all.
Don’t miss the annual Cathay Pacific Chinese New Year Night Parade (1),
bringing colourful floats, marching bands, lion dancing and more to the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui on 5 February. The following evening, get down to Victoria Harbour (2)
to enjoy the fireworks at 8pm. Elsewhere, join the annual pilgrimage to Lam Tsuen in the New Territories for the Well-Wishing Festival: write your wish down, tie it to an orange and toss it into the branches of a replica banyan.
For Hongkongers, no Chinese New Year is complete without a feast. Try newly revamped Peking Garden (3)
in Tsim Sha Tsui for harbour views and imperial Beijing cuisine like succulent Peking duck. In Wan Chai, fight the cool weather with a chilli and peppercorn banquet at newly opened Sichuan Lab, or pig out on barbecued meat at Hong Kong’s first American smokehouse Mr Brown. For high- end tastes, FrenchJapanese hybrid Lumi (4) in Pacific Place has a new winter menu studded with standouts such as Kobe beef and a wellappointed afternoon tea.
After dinner, hop on adrenaline-spiking rides at the AIA Carnival (until 17 February) at Central Harbourfront. Or check out the Hong Kong Arts Festival’s
programme of music, opera, drama and dance, which includes performances by Marin Alsop with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (5) (21-22 February) and Taiwan’s Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (21-24 February) – a blend of ballet, martial arts and calligraphy. Meanwhile, Hong Kong Ballet channels the roaring ’20s with The Great Gatsby (6) (15-17 February at the Academy for Performing Arts).
街上響起鑼鼓聲，不少人會到廟宇上香拜神；到處都可見到結實纍纍的柑桔盆栽，還有一封又一封的利是，見到這些東西，就知道農曆新年來臨了。根據曆法，今年歲次己亥豬年，會為人間帶來歡樂與富裕。在此謹祝各位讀者新春萬事如意！
千萬不要錯過25月 日大年初一在尖沙咀街頭舉行的國泰航空新春國際匯演之夜( 1)，屆時可以欣賞設計繽紛多姿的花車、銀樂隊、舞獅等多項精采表演，感受熱鬧的氣氛。翌日晚上8時正，維多利亞港 (2)上空舉行煙花匯演。此外，每年亦有不少人前往新界林村參加許願節，在許願樹前拋擲寶牒祈福。在寶牒上寫下你的 願望，然後把寶牒綁在一個橙上，再將它拋向仿真榕樹的樹枝上就大功告成了。
對於香港人來說，農曆新年少不了與親友共享盛宴。不妨到尖沙咀全新裝修的北京樓
(3)，一邊欣賞維港景致，一邊品嚐皮脆肉嫩的北京填鴨等傳統京菜。若想驅寒暖胃，就要往灣仔的Sichuan Lab來一頓麻辣燙兼備的美食；或者到香港首間擁有美式熏製爐的餐廳Mr
Brown去大啖各式燒烤肉類。至於高級美食，則有位於太古廣場的法、日混合餐廳Lumi
(4)，那裡有全新的冬季時令菜單，特色菜括神戶牛肉及賣相精緻的下午茶美點等。
如果喜歡尋求刺激，就要到中環海濱參加AIA歐陸嘉年華（即日起至2月17日），那裡的機動遊戲定能令你腎上腺素急升。若你愛好文藝活動，香港藝術節帶來令人目不暇給的音樂、歌劇、戲劇及舞蹈節目，括瑪琳．艾爾梭與聖保羅交響樂團(5)（ 2月及21 22日）及台灣的雲門舞集（月2 21至24日）的演出，後者將芭蕾舞、武術及書法等元素共冶一爐。同時，香港芭蕾舞團於2月15至17日在香港演藝學院演出《大亨小傳》(6)，以舞蹈重現美國咆哮的1920年代。