Chinese New Year Street Festival

Thousands converged on the heritage enclave of George Town, Penang to join in the fun and festivities celebrating the lunar New Year. Even Choy San Yeh, the god of wealth graced the event.

In keeping with the Malaysia tradition of 'open house' the Street Festival was the latest of the series which had also included Deepavali and Hari Raya celebrations recently.

The event which was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, the State Government of Penang, the Penang Chinese Clans Council and the Clans Association Youth Committee drew an estimated crowd of 70,000 from all walks of life to the gaily decorated area of Cannon Street, Armenian Street, Ah Quee Street, Acheen Street and Soo Hong Lane.

The street festival which showcased local Chinese culture featured 5,500 participants, from more than 80 Chinese associations, schools and other volunteer groups.

Let the festivities begin

The thundering sounds of Chinese drums and cymbals heralded the start of the festivities in a loud and vibrant way. The evening kicked off with a lion dance at 5pm at the main stage in front of Yap Kongsi.

The celebration featured 57 different types of activities to exhibit all the aspects of Chinese culture, including calligraphy, martial arts, food, traditional opera, and trades. Among other things, visitors could see first hand how joss sticks, popiah (spring roll) skins and wooden clogs were made. Of course, the highlight of any celebration in Penang was the fabulous food.

Sampling Chinese delicacies from four different clans in Penang

Visitors had the opportunity to sample cuisine of the different clans in Penang - namely Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka and Cantonese. The kiosks were grouped around the enclave to offer the authentic dishes which were handed down through generations.

Over at the Hokkien village, delicacies and desserts such as thong yin (coloured glutinous rice dumplings in syrup water) and ang ku (red tortoise buns) were the favorites. At the Teochew section, attractive Teochew specialities like dumplings and shelled green pea mix were very popular. Hainanese food like inchi kabin, roti kahwin and kaya were the real crowd-pullers. On the Cantonese side, otak-otak, yam cakes, bean dumplings and Cantonese popiah were their best-selling items.

In addition, various hotels and hawkers also set up food stalls selling a variety of Penang goodies. With all the food choice on offer, visitors had difficulty in deciding which dish to sample before they were too full to taking another bite.

A host of activities

At the Hokkien village, a typical alter was on display to showcase the Pai Ti Kong (Jade Emperor praying ceremony) - an important event for the Hokkiens celebrated on the ninth day of Chinese New Year.

Close by Nyonya ladies were sharing the art of sewing beaded shoes. Some samples were on sale and contact details were made available for those who were interested in acquiring a pair of these elaborate shoes. Masters of Chinese calligraphy demonstrated their skills by writing meaningful verses.

The crowd also enjoyed the various stage shows. There were 10 stages erected throughout the enclave for puppet show, traditional opera shows (in Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese), "Huang Mei Tiao" performance, Shanghai Nite show, Chinese Oldies performances, kids singing competition, traditional costume show and performances of calisthenics.

There were other performances to please the crowd. Among them was the skillful display of the lion dancing troupe outside the Chinese Town Hall, which drew hundreds who watched in awe as they preformed precariously on poles. Another act that captured the heart of many was the mini dragon dance performance by the adorable children from the Penang Chinese Girls Primary School.

From the balcony of Cheah Kongsi, pretty maidens threw chocolate 'gold ingots' to an enthusiastic crowd below. Not too far away, rows of Chinese drummers from an all female troupe were in line beating their drums in unison.

At the Penang Youth Center section, Chinese calligraphy, Chingay, martial arts performances, single wheel bicycle riding display and Chinese Chess competition were included in their programme of the evening.

The traditional Chinese Ying Qin (wedding ceremony) procession was another interesting attraction. The procession troupe carried the bride who wore a red gown with detailed shimmering embroidery on a decorative sedan-chair to the grooms place. Of course, her beautiful face was hidden behind a red veil, to be unveiled only by the groom. Although it was not an actual wedding, the ceremony reminded many of the beauty of this fast fading tradition.

Over at Acheen Street, 180 primary school students from 10 schools coloured a 30.48m-long drawing which illustrated many local festivals.

A spellbinding musical performance of cross-culture love

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tunka Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail, Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Fauziah Tengku Syed Sirahuddin Jamallulail, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and other dignitaries were present at the musical performance, "Ma Ho Huan" held at the nearby Dewan Sri Pinang. The performance which began at 8.30pm told of a Sino-Malay love story between Admiral Zheng He's faithful worrior Ma Ho Huan and Siti Dewi, the daughter of the Malacca Temenggung. Spoken in Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin, the 75-minute play had a 40-member cast. Ma Ho Huan was played by Calvin Lau and Siti Dewi by Vanida Imran.

Set in the 15th century, the story began when a dragon danced its way from behind the audience to the stage. Laksamana Cheng Ho (Admiral Zheng He) read out and imperial command to Ma Ho Huan, his faithful warrior and interpreter sending the admiral's fleet to the Malay Peninsula. Bahasa Malaysia and English translation of the Mandarin conversation was flashed on a screen above the stage.
Through stormy sea they journeyed before reaching their destination, the bustling trading port of Malacca. There Ma Ho Huan met the Temenggung who was accompanied by the lovely daughter Siti Dewi. They fell in love and the musical ended with a wedding-cum-Chinese New Year celebration.

The musical was presented by the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and the Penang Government. The performers included dancers and singers from Istana Budaya, the Penang Arts Troupe and Dua Space Dance Theatre.

At nightfall, the streets were illuminated by strings of red lanterns strung across them. A spectacular display of fireworks concluded the night of festivity with a bang. The crowd dispersed, satisfied with a feast of all the senses, taking home mementos bought form the stalls, and a better understanding of the diverse Chinese culture that is still very much alive in Penang.

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