Local, expat residents revel in joy of Lantern, Kaiding festivals
中外友人共庆元宵佳节
Celebrations for the Lantern Festival, which fell on Saturday this year, in Shenzhen took various forms such as lantern shows, intangible cultural heritage fairs, Yingge dance performances, and folk cultural shows.
元宵灯会、非遗游园会、英歌舞表演、民俗文化演出……2月24日，深圳喜迎元宵节，各式各样庆祝活动精彩纷呈。
The Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first month on the Chinese lunar calendar, marks the end of Spring Festival celebrations. The festival features family reunions, feasts, lantern displays, and various cultural activities. The vivid celebrations in Shenzhen united locals and expats in spirited revelry.农历正月十五是“元宵节”。热热闹闹过元宵，春节才算过完！元宵节是家人团聚的日子。人们会举办盛大的宴会、灯会灯各式各样的庆祝活动。中外友人在喜庆的节日气氛中共庆元宵。![]()
Expats take part in a Shehuo parade in the Honey Park, Futian District, on Saturday, the Lantern Festival. Shehuo, a folk show marking the customs of traditional festivals, originated about 2,000 years ago from ancient activities to pray for a good harvest. Lin Songtao
周六元宵节，外籍人士在福田区香蜜公园参加社火巡游。社火是一种标志着传统节日习俗的民间表演，起源于约 2000 年前古代祈求五谷丰登的活动。林松涛 摄
The Lantern Festival fair at Sea World in Shekou attracted a diverse crowd. Hosted by the Zhaoshang Subdistrict, the fair boasted 17 booths offering food, arts, games, and cultural experiences. Live music, a drone show, and fountain performances added to the festive ambiance.元宵节当天，招商街道举办的一场元宵游园会在海上世界船头广场举行。现场设17个展位，中外居民可以在试吃美食、体验民俗、参与互动游戏。现场更有音乐分享、无人机表演以及音乐喷泉表演为活动增添更多节日氛围。A girl poses with a dragon model at the Lantern Festival fair at Sea World in Shekou on Saturday.Ali Shoaib, a Pakistani who has resided in China for three years, said: “This is my first time celebrating the Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival in Shenzhen, and it has allowed me to immerse myself in Chinese culture. I have captured videos and photos as mementos, sharing them with my friends.”来自巴基斯坦的Ali Shoaib来中国已经三年了。“这是我第一次在深圳庆祝春节和元宵节，这让我沉浸式感受了中国文化。我拍摄了许多视频和图片，把他们分享给我的朋友们。”Visitors take joy in a riddle guessing game at the Lantern Festival fair at Sea World on Saturday.“We celebrated the Chinese New Year in Chinatown in Los Angeles with a dragon dance and a simple parade, but the experience here in China is very different,” Gannt Wystix, from the U.S., remarked after volunteering at the fair. “The fair at Sea World has allowed me to explore various aspects of Chinese culture including different foods and snacks from across China.”“我们在洛杉矶的唐人街庆祝过中国新年，当时有舞狮、巡游的节目，但在中国过新年的体验完全不一样。”来自美国的Gannt Wystix说道，他同时也是这场活动的志愿者。“海上世界这场游园会让我从各个方面探索了中国文化，包括中国各地不同的食物和零食。”An expat takes photos during the Lantern Festival fair at Minghua Ship Square.Bi Mingyan, director of the Nanshan International Cultural Exchange & Service Center, highlighted the importance of such events in promoting international cultural exchange. Zhaoshang Subdistrict, as an international locale, leveraged the festival to deepen foreigners’ understandings of Chinese culture and local traditions, according to her.招商街道南山国际化交流中心主任毕鸣艳强调这类传统文化活动对于促进国际文化交流的重要性。她说，招商街道，作为一个国际化程度高的街道，借此节日弘扬传统文化，加深外国人对中国文化和当地传统的认识。Kaiding Festival celebration
体验百年传统习俗开丁节
Two days ahead the Lantern Festival, some expats also joined villagers of the Yu'er Village in Shekou in the Kaiding Festival celebration.两天前，一些外国友人还参加了蛇口渔二村的开丁节庆典。The festival, listed as a city-level intangible cultural heritage in 2005, is celebrated annually on the 13th day of the first lunar month, which falls on Feb. 22 this year. The centuries-old tradition originated in Haifeng County, Guangdong.开丁节庆典每年农历正月十三举办，于2005年被列为市级非物质文化遗产。这一有着数百年历史的传统节日起源于广东海丰县。Parents holding their babies receive red envelopes containing lucky money at a celebration of the Kaiding Festival in Yu’er Village in Shekou. Photos by Liu Xudong在蛇口渔二村举行的开丁节庆祝活动上，父母抱着婴儿领取装有压岁钱的红包。刘旭东 摄On the day, villagers hung lanterns outside their homes to welcome friends, families, and even strangers, and treated them to Kaiding Tea, a special snack. It is believed that the more visitors turn up at a household, the more blessings the host family will receive.这一天，村民们在家门口挂起了灯笼，欢迎亲朋好友甚至陌生人，并请他们品尝特色小吃开丁茶。人们相信，来访者越多，主人家就会收到越多的祝福。“This is my first time to participate in this cultural event and to make Kaiding Tea after 12 years in China,” Ukrainian Shtanko Nataliia said. “The event is colorful. Shekou is my home now. I live my biggest part of life here and really enjoy the place.”“我来中国 12 年，这是我第一次参加这种文化活动，也是第一次制作开丁茶。“乌克兰人 Shtanko Nataliia 说。”活动非常丰富。蛇口现在是我的家。我在这里度过了我生命中最重要的一段时光，我非常喜欢这个地方。Expats sit at a celebration banquet.“The celebration has become more vibrant than it was before. Back in the day, only we villagers celebrated the festival, but now, friends from all corners come and add to the festive atmosphere,” a villager surnamed Tang said.“现在的庆祝活动比以前更热闹了。以前只有我们村民过节，但现在，四面八方的朋友都来了，增添了节日的气氛。”一位姓唐的村民说。Lis Tatiana, from Belarus, expressed the excitement she had when she was allowed to use the lion dance team’s drumsticks to beat on a drum.来自白俄罗斯的 Lis Tatiana 表示，当她被允许使用舞狮队的鼓槌敲鼓时，她感到非常兴奋。“It is a great time to learn about the local culture,” said Tatiana, who was invited to attend the event by the Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats.Tatiana 说：“这是了解当地文化的好时机。”她是应蛇口境外人员管理服务中心的邀请来参加这次活动的。A lion dance captivates the audience.“The event is bigger than I thought it was and is very well organized.” said Brazilian Christine Bubeck. “It’s very nice to feel like a part of the culture.” She also said that she loves living in Shenzhen because she feels very welcome here.来自巴西的Christine Bubeck说：“这次活动比我想象的要大，组织得非常好。我感觉自己是文化的一部分，这非常好。”她还说，她喜欢在深圳生活，因为在这里她感到非常受欢迎。Expats make Kaiding Tea, a special Kaiding Festival snack.In ancient times, the Kaiding Festival was a custom that was practiced on a boy’s first birthday. Now, regardless of the gender of the child, and regardless whether a family has a newborn baby, residents warmly invite families and friends to their homes to share Kaiding Tea and wish each other good luck and happiness.在古代，开丁节是庆祝男丁周岁生日的传统习俗。现在，无论孩子性别如何，无论家里是否有新生儿，居民们都会热情地邀请亲朋好友到家里共享开丁茶，互祝吉祥幸福。Expats take photos at the celebration of the Kaiding Festival.Furthermore, several Lantern Festival activities are taking place at expat communities, drawing a diverse group of expats to participate in the tradition. Expats，wearing Chinese traditional customs hanfu, joined in a Shehuo parade, a folk show that reflects the customs of traditional festivals, which was held at Honey Park in Futian District on the Lantern Festival. Additionally, expat residents have enjoyed celebrations at Bantian Handmade Cultural Street in Longgang District, Shenzhen University, Huaqiangbei Pedestrian Street, and other locations, immersing themselves in the revelry.元宵节当天，还有许多外籍人士参与到在外国人社区举办的庆祝活动。比如在香蜜湖公园举办的元宵活动，穿着汉服的外籍友人加入社火大巡游的队伍中一起演出。坂田手造街、深圳大学还有华强北步行街等地也都举办了热闹的庆祝活动，让外国友人沉浸在节日氛围中。Expats learn to makeyuanxiao at Honey Park in Futian District.