Chinese New Year at Rizal Park

Driving Off Jinx?

We all know that the superstitious belief of driving away bad spirits during New Year to bring good luck is of Chinese origin and the Chinese community in the Philippines annually celebrate their New Year at Binondo but this year it would be different; not different in style of celebration but location.

The Chinese community in the Philippines is planning to stage and celebrate their New Year celebration this year 2011 in Rizal Park, not for a change but seemingly somewhat to ward off jinx and bad image on the Rizal Park where the Philippines have incurred bad image in the world due to the bus-hostage fiasco that have happened on it. This is the first time the Chinese community in the Philippines celebrate their New Year in a different unusual location with different intention.

Chinese New Year in the Philippines

Funny it may seem that holding their New Year celebration in Rizal Park will cast away the bad image which the Philippines have incurred, but that is their belief system that we should honor and respect and grateful of because this Chinese community in the Philippines at least does something about the Philippines marred image. Anyway, some of the victims of bus-hostage fiasco were their racial brothers and sisters.

According to Mr. Ruben Co, chair of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Alumni Association Inc., said that they are doing this kind of New Year celebration at Rizal park so that the Philippines could regain the good image it has before.

“We are doing this for the country. We want to regain the good image of the country after August 23” –Ruben Co

Their yearly New Year celebration will be held at February 2, 2011 around 9p.m. at Rizal Park with dragon dances, lion dances, fireworks display of course, cultural performances that will showcase Chinese and Filipino dances, and bazaars to welcome what they called “Year of the Rabbit”

Moreover, Alfonso Uy, the president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce said that by doing such different kind of New Year celebration, they wanted to send message to the world that in the Philippines both mainstream and minor societies coexist harmoniously.

“We want to send a message to the whole world, we have a harmonious society in the Philippines where minorities and the mainstream society coexist” –Alfonso Uy

Bazaar