This Sunday, one billion Chinese people worldwide will celebrate their own New Year’s Eve. According to the Chinese horoscope, this year will be the Year of the Rabbit. There is no longer an annual procession in Brussels.
The Chinese calendar already starts with year 4720. Last year was all about the tiger, now it’s the turn of the rabbit (or hare). The animal is said to bring fertility, longevity and happiness, among other things.
To kick off the new year well, several Chinese restaurants in Brussels are offering buffets today. You will find them mainly in the Dansaert district, where Chinese migrants moved more than a hundred years ago. Many Chinese inhabitants of Brussels live in the vicinity of Anderlecht’s Baraplein and near the embassy in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, but their influence is less visible there.
In general, the Chinese celebrate their New Year’s party mainly in smaller family circles. If you still want to have a taste, you can go to restaurant La Cité du Dragon in Uccle this Sunday evening for a Kung Fu performance. At Gong Cha’s Taiwanese bubble tea shops, you get discounts on their drinks.
In the Chinese Cultural Center of Brussels, near Maalbeek metro station, an exhibition with 36 works of art dedicated to rabbits will open from Monday. The works were selected by a jury in the autumn, following a call for projects for Belgian and European artists.
No More Procession
Since 2019, the annual parade with colorful dancers has been canceled in Brussels. The procession then moved to Antwerp. Also this year the lion dance parade will take place in Antwerp’s Chinatown.
Not only the Chinese diaspora is celebrating this weekend, several other Asian countries also follow the Chinese calendar. For Vietnamese, this coming year will not be about the rabbit, but about the cat.
This article is originally published on .bruzz.be
