Chinese New Year celebration events planned in Leicester

By Charlie Hawes

The Confucius Institute at De Montfort University has planned several events to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year for 2023.

According to the Chinese calendar, 2023 will be the Year of the Rabbit.

Chinese New Year will start on Sunday, January 22, 2023, and celebrations will take place for 15 days until Sunday, February 5.

Dr Yingjun Yang, d,irector of the Confucius Institute at DMU said: “We have planned quite a number of events at varying scales.

“These are both on campus at DMU and in the city centre together with partners and the city council.”

Chinese New Year celebration events at DMU include:

• A Calligraphy and Painting Workshop in the Vijay Patel Building on Tuesday, January 24, between midday and 1pm which will be an interactive workshop teaching Chinese calligraphy and traditional painting.
• A Tea Ceremony and Traditional Music session in the Vijay Patel Building on Wednesday, January 25, between midday and 1pm, will teach the techniques of tea brewing and tasting and will be accompanied by relaxing and peaceful music performed on the Guzheng.
• A Chinese New Year performance in the Vijay Patel Building on Friday, January 27, between 11am and midday. A range of performances are planned to include Tai Chi Fan dance, magic shows, traditional folk dance and Chinese classical music played on the Guzheng and Hulusi.

All sessions are free to attend but due to limited spaces pre-booking is mandatory.

For more information on the events and to book your space, please visit:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/dmu-confucius-institute-31837254601

The Confucius Institute at De Montfort University provides an insight for students, staff and the wider community about the Chinese language and culture.

The staff run a wide variety of courses, public events and activities designed to share the Chinese language and culture for better relations between China and the UK.

Chinese New Year dates change every year because the festival is based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar which is associated with the movement of the moon.

The lunar calendar is also associated with 12 animal signs in Chinese zodiac, so every 12 years is regarded as a cycle.