The ‘Parade through Macao, Latin City’, celebrating the 17th anniversary of Macao’s handover to China, was held on Sunday, 4 December, with the motto “An Annual Celebration for the Entire City - VIVA” and themed “VIVA’s Adventures through Shan Hai”. VIVA travelled through a time gate and set off to the mysterious land ofthe Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shan Hai Jing), kicking off a fantastic adventure and taking part in the “Peace, Love and Cultural Integration” party, celebrating the handover together. This year, it attracted over 1,20,000 audience including those who presented at the Parade, those who watched the live broadcast from television and those who watched from outdoor screens at various locations.
The opening ceremony was officiated by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Alexis, Tam Chon Weng; the Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R, Pu Hailong; the Director of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao SAR, Yang Shijun; the Ambassador of the Embassy of Uruguay in Beijing, Juan Fernando Lugris Rodriguez; the Consul General of Peru in Hong Kong and Macao, Sergio Manuel Avila Traverso; the Acting Consul General and representative of the Consul General of Spain in Hong Kong, Avelino Busto Cornejo; the Representative of the Consul General of the Republic of Ecuador in Guangzhou, Carlos Lopez; the Representative of the Consul General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong, Clara Pacheco de Oliveira; the Representative of the Consul General of Chile in Hong Kong and Macao, Yip Hong Ting, Jacqueline; the Consul of Mexico in Hong Kong and Macao, Beatriz Eugenia Nava Dominguez; and the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Ung Vai Meng.
Set off on a fantastic adventure through a new route
This year the Parade took the Classic of Mountains and Seas as its context. The Classic of Mountains and Seas records the geography of ancient times, deities and beasts and bizarre myths, and is known as China’s oldest “encyclopaedia”. VIVA crossed the time gate at Largo da Companhia de Jesus, taking off from the Ruins of St. Paul’s, together with performing groups from Latin-speaking countries and other foreign regions as well as local talents and VIVA travelled through extraordinary mountains and rivers, where he met bizarre beasts. The public participating in the Parade had the chance to witness the creative installations designed by local illustrator Un Chi Wai.
“VIVA’s Adventures through Shan Hai” comprised over 60 local and foreign participating groups in a total of nearly 1,200 participants. Local groups responded actively to the call for participation in the Parade, with performances featuring Cantonese opera, theatre, music, martial arts, folk and traditional and oriental dance. The Parade also featured a number of outstanding foreign participating groups from Latin-speaking countries and other foreign regions, including French group Plasticiens Volants, Rome Majorettes from Italy, Ballet Afro Tuga from Portugal, Spanish troupe Robots, Revista de Montevideo from Uruguay, Comparsa de Badajoz from Spain, Wuqiao Big World from Mainland China, Tambourin Dance of the Liannan Yao Autonomous County of Guangdong Province from Mainland China, inscribed in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Dragon-fish Dance of Sha Chong Cun of Panyu District of Guangzhou City from Mainland China, Make Friends With Puppets from Hong Kong and the Latin Overseas Chinese Group, allowing the public to fully participate in this festive occasion and creating a joyful atmosphere in streets and alleys. In addition, the large-scale puppets created by the members of the “Large-scale Puppetry Workshop” participated in the Parade, contributing to the festive atmosphere. Participants of the “face painting workshops”, led by Les Peintres Nomades, helped painting the faces of members of the public, placing colour in a boundless extension.
The performing groups set off on a journey that went through Rua de S. Paulo, St. Anthony’s Square, Rua de D. Belchior Carneiro, Rua dos Artilheiros, Rua de Sanches de Miranda, Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro, Santa Casa da Misericórdia Albergue, Rua de São Roque, Rua Nova de São Lázaro, St. Lazarus Square, Rua do Volong, Rua do Tap Siac and Rua de Afonso de Albuquerque, arriving at its final destination at 5:30pm at Tap Siac Square to celebrate the handover in a festive and carnival atmosphere. Additionally, this year the Parade offered an alternative route: some performing groups departed from Senado Square and marched through Largo de S. Domingos, Rua de S. Domingos, Rua da Palha and Rua de S. Paulo, finally joining the remainder of the parade at the Ruins of St. Paul’s. In the “Handover Celebration”, all performing groups presented a performance. The closing ceremony was then followed, bringing all the audience into a fantastic world. Soldiers waving the magic weapons performed an energetic street dance and protected the little VIVA in the hatching eggs. Acrobatic gymnastics with high degree of difficulty was performed, symbolizing the vitality of this remarkable city. The stage was suddenly transformed into a volcano and a desert, the mountain god, the flame creatures played together. VIVA invited all gods together to dance with the flame balls, spending a wonderful journey with the deities and beasts from Shan Hai Jing. A dazzling light show was then presented and the audience was enthusiastically responded. Giant balloons appeared and built up a dream scene to the sky over Tap Siac Square.
Live broadcast of excerpts of the Parade and related activities
The Parade featured a series of related activities to share the joy of the handover. Some participating groups offered a premiere in the community before the event, which was well-received by the public. Nearly 6,000 people actively participated in the contest “VIVA’s Adventures through Shan Hai – Come to win air tickets” in the social media. This year, the organizer held once again a Photography Contest, inviting residents to participate and capture the event’s highlights.
The Parade is one of the major events in celebration of Macao’s handover to China and it has already become one of the city’s trademark festive events since its first edition in 2011. The organizer has made arrangements with TV channels from Hong Kong to broadcast excerpts of the event, thereby increasing the visibility of the Parade. TDM – Teledifusão de Macau S.A. broadcasted the entire event live and outdoor screens were installed at several locations - Senado Square, Rotunda de Carlos da Maia, Areia Preta Garden and Rua de D. Belchior Carneiro. The popular Hong Kong TVB programme ‘Scoop’ will feature a foretaste of the event on 15 December, as well as a Parade Special Programme dedicated to the event’s highlights on 17 December.
This year’s Parade was organised on the same day of the “2016 Macao Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon”, and of the opening ceremony of the “Macao Light Festival 2016” held in the evening. The governmental departments of the cultural, sports and tourism areas cooperated in order to develop a synergistic effect.
The Parade is organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and co-organized by the Macao Government Tourism Office, the Sports Bureau, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, the Public Security Police Force, the Transport Bureau, the Fire Services Bureau, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau of Macao and the Macao Association for the Promotion of Exchange between Asia-Pacific and Latin America. The Cultural Affairs Bureau also receives the support from the Macao General Union of Neighbourhood Associations, the Macao Sam Pa Mun Residents Mutual Aid Association, the Macao Soi Ho Cheok Residents Mutual Aid Association, as well as from the VIVA Ambassadors supporters, namely the Bank of China Macau Branch Volunteers Association, the Macao Community Youth Volunteers Development Association, the General Volunteers Association of Macao, The Boys’ Brigade, Macau, The Scout Association of Macau and the Association of Volunteers Social Service Macao. This edition is also fully supported by Air Macau Co, Ltd. TDM - Teledifusão de Macau S.A. was the designated live television broadcaster.
