Centretown’s Chinese community prepares for major celebration
By Rachelle Diprose
In a flurry of colour, costumes and dancing, it will be out with the rabbit and in with the dragon for many Centretown residents this month.
While many people are recovering from the arrival of 2000, Chinese New Year arrives Feb. 5, marking the year of the dragon.
“Chinese people pay more attention to Chinese New Year than to the normal new year,” says Anting Lu, from the cultural office of the Chinese Embassy.
A historical fashion show will highlight the Chinese Community Association of Ottawa’s gala event Feb. 20 at the Ottawa Congress Centre.
The show will display costumes from different periods in Chinese history and represent particular styles from different political rulers or dynasties. The costumes are manufactured in and imported from Taipei, Taiwan.
A turquoise blue silk suit with a golden warrior’s head piece is one of the nine costumes in the show. It represents Mulan, the female warrior made famous in a recent Disney film of the same name. A dark, rich maroon gown with intricate patterns and a small cap shows a scholar in court dress from China’s Han dynasty, which dates back to 500 BC.
The costumes are on loan from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.
Angela Chiang, a representative of the office, says the costumes are delicate and valuable but she’s not sure exactly how much they’re worth.
“I couldn’t even guess,” she says. “But it’s quite a bit!”
Rowena Tolson is a vice-president with the Chinese Community Association of Ottawa. The event will celebrate Chinese New Year with a “Canadian unity” theme, she says. It’s about embracing the community’s Canadian context and multi-culturalism.
“We’re in Canada so we do as the Canadians do,” she says. “When in Rome, right?”
The Congress Centre gala is the community’s major celebration. Besides the fashion show, it will feature performances by members of the Chinese community as well as the Russian Souvinious School of Dance, Les Petits Ballets, and the Thai Association.
The Phoenix Dance Troupe will be performing a traditional Chinese MiaoTribe dance. The Oriental Dance Troupe will depict the traditional Chinese story of Dün Huáng, a sacred tomb lined with carvings from early Chinese history.
“When you say ‘Dün Huáng’ to Chinese people,” says Tolson, “everyone knows the story and knows what it means. (The dance is about) figures walking out of the stones and stones becoming reality.”
Chinese New Year is calculated according to the Chinese lunar calendar which operates on a 12 year cycle. Different symbols represent each year of the cycle. In English the symbols translate into 12 animals — rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar.
The dragon, an important Chinese cultural symbol, has the power to ward off evil spirits. It’s one of the most popular images in Chinese art and mythology.