New Zealand may seem like an unexpected place to celebrate xīn nián, Chinese Lunar New Year, but every year, the city of Christchurch hosts a lantern festival to mark the occasion. Compared to traditional lantern festivals in China, Christchurch’s is much smaller, filling up only the city square. Yet despite the size, both the event’s activities and crowd were surprisingly robust for a Chinese Festival in New Zealand. The educational elements included in Christchurch’s event also make it different from a traditional lantern festival. Unlike in China, Christchurch’s lantern festival is advertised to an ethnically mixed audience, most of which are not Chinese. Intended for a mixed audience, the event is geared to both welcome the New Year and encourage attendees to learn more about Chinese culture. The festival is organized by the small, strong Chinese community and is backed by a China-based organization known as the Confucius Institute, an independent group that teaches courses on Chinese language and culture. Cultural events like Christchurch’s lantern festival are what bring ethnically mixed communities together in both celebrating and sharing cultural diversity.

The history of the Chinese Lunar New Year begins with ancient Chinese astronomers. As they observed the night skies, astronomers began to notice a cycle in star patterns. They called one full cycle yì nián (one year). Assigned to each year is a zodiac animal that comes from a Chinese creation legend. In the story the Jade Emperor, the ruler of the heavens, offers all animals a chance to have a year named after them if they win a race. The first twelve animals who win the race then celebrate at a heavenly banquet, each being awarded their own year. The lantern festival, which celebrates both the animal and the beginning of the New Year, is held at night and often displays decorations featuring that year’s animal.

At the Christchurch Lantern Festival, crowds fill an entire city square. To judge from their accents, almost everyone is a New Zealand native, a Kiwi, but about half the crowd looks to be not ethnically Chinese. This year, everyone is bustling towards different attractions to celebrate the Year of the Dog. In one corner, there is a stage where groups perform traditional songs and dances. These performances range from a single, elderly Chinese man playing a flute to a children’s group dressed in traditional garb moving to percussion beats. A little farther from the stage, makeshift stands of collapsable poles and tented fabric line the border of the square. Each contains something different. In one, young kids learn to make small origami animals. The next stand is filled to the brim with festive decorations like hóng zhǐ (red paper), and keychain tassels, all to bring good luck this New Year. At the end, there are a few stands organized by the Confucius Institute. They’re easily identifiable because they are twice as big as all the others, and they’re connected. Tonight, their presence signifies that to fully appreciate Chinese culture, it is necessary to understand its roots. Inside each stand, teachers walk visitors through the basics of calligraphy and teach them about the origins of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. It’s striking to hear the traditional Chinese myth told in the soft drawl of the Kiwi accent. The crowd in this half of the square alternates between watching the stage and milling about among the stands.

There is so much to watch and listen to, but it’s the smell that pulls people to the other side of the square.

Across from the stalls and the stage is a wall of food trucks. Their aroma has been pervading the entire festival, enticing would-be customers. Most of these trucks are not serving Chinese food, which is a casual nod towards the mixed crowd. Ironically, the one with the longest line happens to be for yakisoba, Japanese fried noodles. Amongst traditional dumplings and fish ’n’ chips, the scents of Chinese and Kiwi cultures mix in the air. As customers equip themselves with small treats they begin wandering through the spectacle of lanterns. They are unlike the traditional small lanterns one sees hanging from trees or set on tables. Instead, they are huge creations of thin nylon-esque material covering dazzling lights formed into an array of intricate shapes. People crowd around them and wander from dragons to pandas, ships, and horses, their gazes fixed on each for several moments before the cameras click.

Amidst the revelry of the crowd, a sound rings out signaling for people to make way as the parade starts coming through. The parade marks the peak of the festival, drawing people from all over the square towards the center as the marchers file in. Small and energetic, each procession is full of music and excitement as musicians march alongside traditional dragon dancers. As the parade begins to exit the other side of the square, everything else quickly follows. The lights on the stage are already dimmed, most of the stalls are in the process of being collapsed, and many of the food trucks have packed away their signs. Even as the festivities come to an end, the goal of the lantern festival here has clearly been achieved. The Chinese Lunar New Year has been welcomed through traditional festivities, while large crowds at the information booths testify to the success of cultural education. As the crowd filters out, only the lanterns are left; a light guiding us into the New Year.

Photos taken by J.Koury at the Lantern Festival. Christchurch, New Zealand . March 11, 2018.