The most significant of the traditional Chinese holidays, Chinese New Year marks the end of the winter season. Beginning on the first day of the traditional Chinese calendar’s first month, the celebration concludes with the Lantern Festival. Chinese families gather to enjoy their annual reunion dinner on the New Year’s Eve. Chinese New Year celebrations in Penang has long been a special highlight during this period.

Popularly known as the Chinese New Year Cultural and Heritage Celebration, this event held in Penang’s old city transforms the entire vicinity into an outdoor festival of everything Chinese. The celebration is organized by the Penang state government with the intention of showcasing the old city of Georgetown, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year, the main objective of the special event is to introduce traditional Chinese culture in a grand manner whilst highlighting the rich cultural heritage of the Chinese community in Georgetown.

This year’s edition of the Chinese New Year Cultural and Heritage Celebration included live entertainment drawing hordes of visitors. Among the special features were martial arts demonstrations, lion dances, classical songs, Chinese opera, drumming, morality dramas and more.

The numerous entertainment offerings of the celebration each year keep the visitors especially foreigners engrossed. The vibrant and colourful atmosphere generated by the exciting events that take place present the perfect setting to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

It is a known fact that Penang Island and Georgetown preserve Chinese New Year traditions and fascinating cultural idiosyncrasies better than China’s mainland, thus a visit to this region during the New Year festivities is a must for those interested in traditional culture.