Residents pack Market Place to celebrate Chinese New Year

PHOTOS BY PAUL KING

Wokingham’s Market Place was packed for the town’s Lunar New Year event!

With Lion dances, music and dance, a Kung Fu demonstration, hands-on crafts and delicious street food, it was a fantastic day out for everyone!

The lion dance, one of the most important traditions at Chinese New Year, was performed in the heart of the town alongside music, arts and crafts. In Chinese culture, the lion symbolises power, wisdom, and superiority. Their presence reported to bring good fortune and chase away evil spirits.

It’s not a celebration without food, and they had some fabulous street food including Uncle E Ltd’s Hong Kong style cakes and Dim Sum, Family Kitchen for Hong Kong cuisine, Jeong Cook’s authentic Korean food, Sen Ichie providing sushi and Chinese food options and Krua Koson’s Thai food. Reading Hongkongers CIC were on hand to offer activities with the theme of Lunar New Year and games related to Hong Kong and British culture. Wokingham Baptist Church provided traditional crafts and activities relating to the New Year and ‘morearts.’ were there helping children to make dragon puppets as

2024 is the year of the Dragon.

One participant commented: “Congratulations to the town council for putting on a great event. We loved being part of it, and our UK/HK volunteer team had a great time! I think this event really helps people who have migrated here from difficult situations to feel this is a town where they can belong.”