Dublin Chinese New Year Festival 2008
Daragh | January 31, 2008The Chinese New Year festivities are about to begin in Dublin as the city welcomes year 4076 of the traditional Chinese Lunar year. Chinese New Year is considered to be the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays and falls on the first day of the first month of the Chinese Lunar year. This year the New Year day arrives on February 7, 2008. It will be the year of the Rat, which is the first of the 12 year cycle of animals that form the Chinese Zodiac related to the Chinese New Years.
The Dublin Chinese New Year Festival Association (DCNYFA) has organized various events to celebrate the holiday. The first of these begins tomorrow (February 1, 2008) with the launch of a Chinese film ‘Still Life’ by directory Jia Zhangke in the Irish Film Institute, Temple Bar. This film is part of a seven-day Chinese film festival. Other events in various locations around the city include a Chinese arts and crafts show, an event celebrating Chinese literature and music, launch of a 2008 Beijing Olympic pack at UCD Sports Centre, international table tennis and badminton tournaments, dragon boat racing, lion dances, stage plays, and a three day Chinese carnival in Smithfield. The closing ceremonies will take place on Monday February 11, 2008 at 6m in Smithfield Square.
I believe that this is first time that a Chinese New Year festival is being held in Dublin and I have no doubt that it will be successful. We should all welcome the festival and make an attempt to attend at least some of the various events. We wish a very Happy New Year to the Dublin Chinese community!
A complete brochure with more details about the festival is available here.
We shouldn’t be celebrating the Chinese new year, this is Ireland afterall.
The Irish culture should be the issue here, not some other foreign culture.
“we shouldn’t be celebrating the Chinese new year” – I don’t wish to be rude ‘anonymous’ Jim, but you don’t have to celebrate anything. You can leave that to the rest of us who are more tolerant.
You might also find the site here a bit ‘foreign’ as half of the writers are not Irish
Anyway check back to see my Chinese New Year pics shortly 
The largest St Patrick’s day parade is in ….
(drum roll please)
New York.
Jim, please define what you perceive to be Irish culture?
Jim – I should also point out that Lunar New Year is not just celebrated in China, but also in Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia for example! There are people from all four countries living here now, so why not celebrate?
[...] are all sorts of things happening for Chinese New Year, you can find out more at Dublin.ie. Meanwhile here’s some pics from yesterday’s fun on [...]
“We shouldn’t be celebrating the Chinese new year, this is Ireland afterall”
Irish culture should be the issue here = Xenophobia
thats weird – if there is one culture you would think would be understanding and welcoming of foreigners, it would have to be Ireland.
With all the Irish mass imigration abroad – you would think Irish would understand and welcome foreigners and their different cultures..
after all St-Patrick Days is celebrated all over…
perhaps another round of mass emigration might be needed here…
Good blog,have a fine day