The heart of London was filled with thousands of visitors, eager to witness the exciting Chinese New Year celebrations Trafalgar square had to offer to mark the arrival of 2013. The crowd was of all ages and backgrounds, and the festivities had something for everyone. As well as holding expected Chinese traditional celebrations, young and current artists also performed.
The main stage, decorated with red banners and dotted with huge lanterns, showcased a variety of performers.
Hong Kong born indie singer-songwriter Emmy the Great captivated the audience with some of her haunting compositions. She also performed beautiful covers of a Mandarin song ‘Because Of Love’ and Cantonese artist Faye Wong's cover of The Cranberries' 'Dreams'.
The stage hosts told the audience of the Chinese idea to get crowds at celebrations to chant foreign phrases to encourage the learning of languages. The Trafalgar audience tried it, shouting out “Xin nian kuai le”(happy New Year).
The energy and wonder of the Chen Brothers’ Flying Lion Dance kept the crowd engrossed and bewildered; the gold dragon costume appeared to be brought to life to the rhythm of drums. Artists ranged from Chinese dragons and lions, acrobats and upbeat dancers with elaborate costumes, to meditative martial arts acts; all the wonderful dance acts remained impeccable and unaffected by the unfortunate English weather.
Visitors who wished to escape the rain could indulge in reading fascinating Chinese history, photographed and documented on the inside wall of one of the tents in the square. Browsing the colourful New Years souvenirs on sale was also popular.
Following tradition, Chinese lions made their way through London’s decorated streets visiting restaurants, with drums behind them and delighted the crowds following the spectacle.
