Celebrate start of Year of the Dragon
WOKINGHAM will be celebrating Chinese New Year with traditional entertainment and refreshments. Lunar New Year celebrations in Wokingham draw on the talents of performers and artists both locally, and from the South of England.
Performances will include a Lion Dance, traditional Chinese music and dance, Kung Fu, cultural arts and crafts, and Asian food and drink.
Cllr Barrie Callender, chair of Wokingham Town Council’s Arts and Culture Committee, said: “It’s a privilege to host a Lunar New Year Celebration here in Wokingham.
“The vibrancy and animated story telling of the Lion Dance, alongside Asian dance, music, Kung Fu and street food, provide a wonderful insight into East Asian culture, and bring residents from across the town together.”
Visitors can enjoy traditional Chinese music and dance, featuring Wan Ying playing stringed instrument, or erhu, Zhenyan Li on traditional bamboo flute, or zhi, and dancer Jasmine Lam.
Pak-Mei UK will demonstrate the art of
Kung Fu.
Pak-Mei UK Lion Dance Troupe will perform the Lion Dance.
There will be two opportunities to enjoy this presentation, one of the most important traditions of the season.
Reading Hongkongers Community Interest Company (CIC) will run games and activities relating to Hong Kong and British Culture, and Wokingham Baptist Church will offer traditional crafts and activities.
Morearts, will be making dragon puppets to celebrate the coming Year of The Dragon.
Krua Koson will offer Thai Food, and Uncle E
Ltd will serve Hong Kong style cakes, including pineapple cake, wife cake, cashew biscuits, and dim sum . Family Kitchen will be cooking Hong Kong cuisine, and Jeong Cook will sell authentic Korean dishes.
All events will take place in Wokingham Market Place, on Sunday, between 11am and 3pm.
“They tell us how much they appreciate receiving them.”
Later in the month, John Hook will reveal the church’s history in a talk.
“John is amazing,” said Ms Howard, “He knows every nook and cranny of All Saints Church.
“He’ll be taking us on a guided tour of the building, sharing stories about the stained glass, and revealing the various ages of the building.
“He has a special place in our hearts, because he discovered the
date of our first meeting.
“The only way to find out was to trawl through archives of old parish magazines, which he did.
“Eventually, he found us in a magazine from the 1800s.
“We were ‘born’ in March, 1890, which makes the group 134 years old.”
Mr Hook’s talk can be heard on Wednesday, March 27, at 2pm.
■ For more information, visit: www.allsaintswokingham.org.uk, or call the parish office, on:
0118 979 2797.