Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Fest back for CNY
KOTA KINABALU: The Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival organized by the United Sabah Chinese Communities Association of Kota Kinabalu (USCCAKK) is back next year in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebrations.
The exiting event will be held on Jan 15, 2022 (Saturday) at Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), with the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor as the guest of honour.
USCCAKK president Datuk Susan Wong Siew Guen said the association decided to organise the festival after a one-year hiatus as the Covid-19 situation has improved.
“Now that the State Government has allowed religious and cultural bodies to hold activities, including the upcoming Christmas celebration at Padang Merdeka, we decided to bring back the muchanticipated Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival,” she said after inspecting the venue at SICC here on Saturday.
Susan thanked Hajiji for accepting USCCAKK’s invitation to grace the festival, which reflected his support towards Chinese traditional cultures.
She is confident that Sabah, under the leadership of Hajiji, would have a brighter future moving forward.
“The Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival symbolised a new beginning and better days ahead in year 2022.”
She said the Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival and Chinese Cultural Village Exhibition aimed to preserve and promote Chinese cultures, which in turn, would enhance racial harmony.
Susan added that USCCAKK deputy president Datuk Chua Soon Ping was appointed as the organising chairman of the Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival.
Due to the Covid-19 restrictions and limit on the capacity of the venue, Susan
Now that the State Government has allowed religious and cultural bodies to hold activities, including the upcoming Christmas celebration at Padang Merdeka, we decided to bring back the much-anticipated Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival.
— Datuk Susan Wong Siew Guen, USCCAKK president
said only 20 dragon, unicorn and lion dance troupes would be invited to participate in the event.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.”
Susan added that the Chinese Cultural Village Exhibition would also be held indoors in SICC.
She said the objective of the exhibition was to showcase the traditional customs, food and tea culture of the Chinese community.
However, she said food tasting would not be available this year due to Covid-19.