Chinese New Year celebrations in Malta

To mark the beginning of the Chinese New Year on Sunday, the Year of the Pig, the China Culutral Centre and the Valletta council are holding a series of activities in Valletta under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the Chinese Embassy.

These include a percussion and dance performance by the China ShanxiFolk Art Theatre on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at St George's Square, followed by a parade down Republic Street at 11.40, and another performance at the Upper Barracca at 12.10 p.m., ten minutes after the Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna re-enactors fire the cannon at the saluting battery.

Cannon firing

FWA volunteers will be dressed as late 19th century Maltese gunners in British Army costumes, and will fire rounds from three different guns starting at noon. The build-up to the cannon firing will include a guided tour of the battery at 11 a.m. and a performance by re-enactors, who will demonstrate how the cannon were prepared for firing.

FWA will also provide information about the history of the saluting battery, the importance of the time marking function, as well as a special historical account of the Chinese Spring Festival. The public are invited to be present at this lively and colourful event, for which there is a charge of only Lm1, with proceeds going towards the restoration of the battery.

Since May 1, 2005, a joint project was initiated at this site by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna and the Malta Tourism Authority to restore the battery to what it looked like in the mid to late 19th century, complete with 11 original British 24-pounder cannon, reconstructed underground gun powder magazines and a side-arm store. Today, the noonday gun is fired every day at midday, with guided tours of the site at 11 a.m. and 12.15 p.m.

Chinese concert

Other activities include a Spring Festival party on St George's Square on Tuesday from 10.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a concert by the Chinese National Orchestra at the Manoel Theatre on Sunday at 7.30 p.m., featuring traditional Chinese musical instruments.

The audience will have a unique opportunity to witness these instruments first hand. They will see and hear the delicate erhu (two-string fiddle), the festive suona (similar to the oboe) and the exotic yangqin (a relative of the zither).

The orchestra will be playing traditional and contemporary Chinese music, which by its nature is highly descriptive. Among the evocative pieces on the programme, one finds pieces like Blooming Flowers and Full Moon and The Moon's Reflection over the Fountains.

Tickets for this concert start from Lm2 and can be bought from the Manoel's booking office, tel. 2124-6389, e-mail: bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt.

Meanwhile, an exhibition of Chinese fans and umbrellas is on show up to March 30 at St James Cavalier.