It was all smiles as Porirua welcomed the Lunar New Year in Te Manawa, our city centre.
Porirua’s inaugural Lunar New Year celebrations highlighted the diversity in our city.
The fun-filled and colourful free event, in our city centre on 24 February, had lion dancing, live performances and market stalls. There were also dragons hidden around six city centre businesses to celebrate the fact it is the Chinese Year of the Dragon.
Rather than just welcoming a point in the calendar, the Lunar New Year is more about bringing people together and celebrating cultures. Across the Asian world, it is the most significant time of year – a day to clean, make sacrifices to ancestors, ward off unwelcome visitors and, most importantly, gather to eat. It symbolises change and beginnings for many people.
Mayor Anita Baker said, “In Porirua, the Lunar New Year came on the back of the city council and iwi Ngāti Toa signing the Statement of Commitment last month, affirming a desire to embrace new arrivals to the city, helping them settle and live healthy, happy and productive lives here,” she said.
“Many of the visitors to Te Manawa on 24 February represented these new arrivals, and had a fantastic afternoon, also having the opportunity to link in with Porirua Multicultural Council and other community services.”
12 Mar 2024
