Submitted by urci on
~~On January 24th, the Confucius Institute (CI) at the University of Regina hosted a lively "Spring Festival Temple Fair" on the campus to celebrate the arrival of 2020, the Year of the Rat. To create a festive atmosphere, the CI staff earnestly decorated the temple fair venue with Chinese-featured adornments, such as spring couplets, paper-cuttings, Chinese red knots, and a lot more that gave the fair a joyful place for celebrating the New Year!
The temple fair has a variety of cultural activities, much to the delight of the local participants. There is a "God of Wealth" distributing red envelopes and sweets to people who tried and successfully said, "Gong xi fa cai" (May you be happy and prosperous). Then a Chinese calligraphy experience station enticed locals to pick up the bamboo brushes and wrote the character for the word fu, meaning blessing, on a red paper. The CI staff also made the Wheel of Fortune that allows the participants to get a chance to win one of the many small gifts, and onlookers cheers on as many participants got their favorite gifts. The temple fair also provided activities such as drawing lucky signs and writing their names in Chinese characters.
The Confucius Institute at the University of Regina has held the Chinese New Year celebrations in eight years' succession. The exciting activities prepared by the CI staff attracted a large number of students, faculty, staff and local people, which made the venue lively and full of laughter. The various cultural activities provided a window for local people to understand and experience Chinese culture, and it also plays a vital role in cultivating a sense of identity for the Chinese culture in the local area.