A taste of Chinese Spring Festival and lantern Festival at The University of Lagos

L-R Consul General, Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos Chao Xiaoliang and Professor Wang Yongjing, Director, The Confucius Institute, University of Lagos

By Paul Ukpabio

The celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year 2017, Year of the Rooster, may have come and gone, but memories linger on.
For the Confucius Institute at the University of Lagos, it was an evening of fun galore, when the Institute led by Chinese Director, Professor Wang Yongjing, had an open party-like show for friends of the school with over three thousand people in attendance.

The Honourable special guest for the evening was no other person, but The Consul General of The People’s Republic of China in Lagos, Chao Xiaoliang. Other special guests included the Deputy Vice Chancellor of The University of Lagos, Professor Duro Oni, Prof L. O. Chukwu, Director, Quality Assurance and Servicom, University of Lagos, and many others.

The venue was the Creative Arts Department of the University of Lagos. Eager students of the university, hitherto enthralled by the Chinese culture, flocked the event place, to have a taste of the Chinese Spring Festival & lantern Festival.

Students and pupils of several other schools in Lagos were also there with their teachers and instructors excited, to be part of the evening celebration. And Prof. Wang Yongjing and her team made up of Prof Segun Awonusi, Mrs Sam-Ejehu and others were on hand to ensure that everyone had a great evening.

All over the venue were Chinese symbols and decorations, and you could not help trying to read the Chinese language! Though, it was obvious that some students of the University are already conversant with Chinese language. But luckily for those guests who weren’t, there was an interpreter in one of the event comperes, who explained each activity for the Nigerian community.

Activities for the evening included an exhibition of the Chinese culture and various Chinese and Nigerian art performances as well as the Chinese traditional love dance performances by staff and students of the Institute as well as students from other invited schools.

There were lots of presents to be won from the drawing of a lottery, music chair game and quiz competition. And students of different schools participated in the different games to win a prize for themselves and for their schools.

Performances included a trio, that sang ‘If this is love,’ a Chinese folk dance; another singing presentation of ‘the moon represents my love,’ a singing duet rendering ‘friends;’ two popular staff of the Institute male and female rendering ‘You are to marry me today,’ another singing duet presented ‘the beautiful flowers and the round moon,’ a Chinese Kongfu Show and a Drama presentation that made guests laugh, laugh and laugh.

The Consul General in his goodwill message commended Prof Wang Yonjing’s team for hosting the laudable event and educating the ivory tower community, about the Chinese Culture.

There were a range of food to eat, Chinese cuisines, Nigerian and Intercontinental cuisines. Love was in the air, being a season of reaching out to people of different race or tribe.

The Chinese Spring Festival is usually a great chance to experience the folk customs! The festival is said to have a history of more than 4,000. It is the grandest and the most important annual event for Chinese people, and has the longest public holiday and time for celebration.

“The celebration lasts for 15 days from the 1st to 15th day of the first lunar month, and in folklore it starts even earlier, from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month.”

The Lantern Festival celebrates the first full moon of the New Year and marks the end of the 15-day celebrations. It is also said that, during the festivities, “people eat rice dumplings called yuanxiao to mark the full moon and watch as lanterns rise into the sky.

L-R Professor L. O. Chukwu, Director, Quality Assurance and Servicom, University of Lagos, Professor Duro Oni, Dep. Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos and Professor Wang Yongjing, Director, The Confucius Institute, University of Lagos

L-R Consul General, Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos Chao Xiaoliang and Professor Wang Yongjing, Director, The Confucius Institute, University of Lagos