Seychelles-China Day set for January 17 & 18 |09 January 2020
(L to r) PS Kalebi, Mr Bresson, Ambassador Guo and Mr Chong Seng during the press conference (Photo: Thomas Meriton)
This year the Seychelles-China Day will be celebrated on January 17 and 18. This is the seventh year that the event is celebrated.
This year the Gansu Dance Troupe will be coming all the way from China to entertain the Seychellois.
The Chinese ambassador, Guo Wei; the principal secretary from the department of Culture, Cecile Kalebi; the chief executive of the Creative Industries and National Events Agency (Cinea) Galen Bresson and the chairman of the Chinese Association, Robert Chong Seng, met the media yesterday to give more details about this celebration.
“First held in 2014, the Seychelles-China Day has become a significant platform for people-to-people and cultural exchanges between our two countries, and effectively strengthened our mutual understanding and friendship. The opening of the China Day indicates the up-coming Chinese Spring Festival, which is the grandest festival in China. This year it falls on January 25. During the Spring Festival, every household will stick red couplets on the doors, hang up red lanterns, post lucky words, set off fireworks, watch the Spring Festival Gala and visit relatives and friends. Chinese children will receive lucky money in a red packet (called hongbao), which is the most exciting moment of the year for them. Nowadays, sending the digital red packets is a popular way to greet relatives and friends during the Chinese New Year,” explained Ambassador Guo.
She further explained that according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, the year 2020 is the Year of the Rat, which ranks first on the Chinese zodiac and represents a new beginning. Small but dynamic, the rat symbolises cleverness, dexterity, wisdom and strong vitality.
“On the occasion of the New Year, I hope you can experience the happiness and joy of the Chinese Spring Festival and the cultural interactions between China and Seychelles,” the ambassador said.
Mr Chong Seng added that “we pride ourselves as a nation in having all four cultures – African, European, Indian and Chinese – intermingling to bring about our unique identity. On Saturday January 18, we shall celebrate the fusion of one of the essential ingredients of this Seychellois melting pot, more specifically the Chinese culture. In order to make this experience enjoyable, again this year we changed the timing of the bazaar from lunchtime to an evening and night market. We invite you all to share a magical food experience with us at the ICCS car park just after the Gansu dance show”.
Mr Bresson noted that for the past three years Cinea is collaborating with the Chinese ambassador, the department of Culture and the Seychelles Chinese Association to organise this event and encourage the Seychellois to come and discover and enjoy this event in big numbers.
Ms Kalebi encouraged the Seychellois to come in large numbers to experience the amazing Chinese culture.
On January 17 there will be an official opening ceremony of the 7th Seychelles-China Day together with the Chinese Spring Festival Reception by invitation only. On Saturday, January 18 at 3pm, the Gansu Dance Troupe will give a cultural performance at the ICCS auditorium. “For this event, tickets are free and the ICCS can hold only 585 people, so tickets will be given on a first come first serve basis,” stated Mr Bresson.
On Saturday January 18, from 5:15pm to 8pm, the Chinese bazaar will be held in the ICCS car park. With the strong support of the Chinese community in Seychelles, this year the bazaar has attracted some 24 vendors. The Chinese embassy, the local Chinese community, the Chinese enterprises in Seychelles, the Confucius Institute and the Chinese Medical Team will take an active part in it.
About the Gansu Dance Troupe
Gansu Dance Troupe was founded in 1961. It has got fruitful achievements in the research of writing, directing & performing Dunhuang dance & music so far. Since the 1960s, the troupe has produced a great number of dance programmes including Song of the Harp, Dunhuang Ancient Music, Lightly Snow-feather River, and Pegasus. The special performance of the Troupe will unfold the great charm of the unique Dunhuang culture and offer a glimpse into the fascinating history of the ancient Silk Road. Gansu province, located in the northwest of China, is well known as home of grottoes art, cultural heritage sites, magnificent natural scenery and also the key area of the ancient Silk Road, which was the most important trading hub connecting China and western countries.
Vidya Gappy