Benin unveils activities for celebrating Chinese New Year
Xinhua, January 29, 2015 Adjust font size:
Benin, which will hold festivities to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival or Chinese New Year for the sixth time, unveiled a series of related activities on Wednesday.
The opening ceremony of the festival, which falls on Feb. 19 this year, is scheduled for Feb. 7, and will be followed by the launching of an arts contest for college students on Feb. 11.
A gastronomic evening is scheduled for Feb. 14 and will be followed by a dragon and lion dance show and other performances of Chinese martial arts.
"This festival has now become a traditional event in Benin," Bai Guangming, director of the Chinese Cultural Center of Cotonou, said at a press conference.
He said the spring festivities are designed to share the artistic and cultural aspirations held by Chinese and Beninese people and should be perceived as "an integration project that brings together art, culture and tourism for the development" of the two countries. Endi