Building on the previous success of the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival (DCNYF) over the past six years, the 7th annual festival is scheduled to take place in the Temple Bar area of Dublin between the 30th January and 14th February. This year’s festival will bid farewell to the snake and enter 2014 by welcoming the horse, an animal so loved by the Irish and with a long history and connection to Ireland.
The year of the Horse will the 4712th year of the Chinese calendar and the DCNYF has been committed to celebrating the very best of Sino-Irish relations by showcasing Chinese culture and heritage to a new and wider audience while also encouraging further cultural integration and increased numbers of Chinese planning Ireland vacations.
There are a varied range of events scheduled throughout the year to celebrate Sino-Irish arts and music, a photographic exhibition, lectures, concerts, the traditional spring festival carnival, A Taste of China, a business seminar, martial arts, sports and lots of fun for all the family. These will take place in Dublin city libraries, Hugh Lane Gallery, Chester Beatty Library and across the country with the festival’s partner organisations including ICCS, Kildare Village, Birr Castle and UCC.
Celebrate Chinese New Year in Dublin (image courtesy of the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival 都柏林中国新年庆)
The continued growth and deepening relations between China and Ireland has lead the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival to examine further any historical evidence of Sino-Irish connections. It is hoped that this will encourage new expressions of inter-cultural contact and exchange while also enriching the connections between both nations.
May the year bring you blessings of great fortune. Xin Nian Hao!