Rabbit

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Happy Chinese New Year! 2011, year of the rabbit, apparently one of the luckiest signs of the Chinese zodiac. I went to London to see the celebrations in and around Trafalgar Square and Chinatown along with a lot of other people. At more than one point during the day I was gridlocked in a crowd of people either trying to see what was happening or moving though the event. There were stalls dotted around that I didn't get a chance to browse because there were too many people.

A view of the stage

Gridlocked in the crowds

We arrived to Trafalgar Square to watch the start of the main displays. First, dotting of the eyes, which the hosts explained is done to bring the lions to life so they can begin the dance. The lion dance brings good luck and wards of evil spirits for the coming year. This year, the dance was performed by the Chen brothers, who were flown in from Hong Kong for the event. Their performance had the lion dancing around and jumping between high poles, complete with cute lion/dog behaviours such as flicking ears and wagging tail that made him a pretty realistic character. I found a little snippet of the performance on someones YouTube, I wasn't in a very good position to take photos or video.

The Chen Brothers doing the Chinese Lion dance.

Sarah and I did intend to stay on the theme of the day and have Chinese for lunch, again, so did everyone else. Queues for eateries were out the door, I settled for a sesame ball and a chrysanthemum tea as a little pre-appetiser before we went searching for somewhere to have lunch.

2011, Year of the Rabbit

It's a really good event, organised by the London Chinatown Chinese Association, with loads of big sponsors to keep it free. Having taken on helping to organise a festival in Milton Keynes this year, I can appreciate how much time, effort, liaising, planning, it would have taken to make this event happen.