New year, new beginnings. In order to welcome the new year and celebrate this occasion with the public, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) organizes “Let's Celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Rooster” which includes a series of activities such as workshops, exhibitions, lectures, concerts and performances.
The “Couplets Workshop” will be held during the New Year period in several cultural facilities. On 21, 22 and 27 January, the workshop takes place at Mandarin’s House and teaches participants to create their own couplets in Chinese calligraphy; in turn, the two sessions held at the Macao Museum of Art (MAM) on 22 January are aimed at MAM’s Friends and to children aged 5 above. The Jao Tsung-I Academy and the Lou Kau Mansion offer, from 24 January to 2 February and from 27 January to 3 February, respectively, New Year seals so that visitors can create their own couplets. General Ye Ting’s Former Residence and the building at No. 80 at Rua das Estalagens also offer, from 27 January to 3 February, seals for visitors to create their own new year postcards. In addition, the activity “Distribution of couplets” is held at the MAM, on 22 January, and the building at No. 80 at Rua das Estalagens, from 27 to 29 January, distributing free couplets to visitors. From 24 January to 2 February, Jao Tsung-I Academy hosts the “Monotype Workshop” and, from 28 to 30 January, General Ye Ting’s Former Residence organizes the “Fans Painting Workshop” in order to teach participants to create fan paintings taking the Lunar New Year as theme. The Macao Tea Culture House also hosts a “Traditional Crafts Workshop” on 11 and 12 February, divided into two sessions, one dedicated to the application of glass beads in embroidery to be held at 10:30am, and another dedicated to the creation of kites in Yangguang style, to be held at 3pm. Reservation is required to take part in some of the above activities in advance. For more information, please visit the IC’s webpage.
The “Performance of Artistic Group of Liannan Yao Autonomous Country of Guangdong Province” presents their “Tambourin Dance of Liannan Yao Autonomous County of Guangdong Province” during the period of the Lunar New Year (from 27 to 30 January) in several locations around Macau and outlying islands, adding to this festive atmosphere. The Mandarin’s House hosts “Lion Dance Performance - Dragon's Ascension and Tiger Leaping” on 28 January, while Lou Kau Mansion becomes the stage for several sessions of a “Chinese New Year Concert” from 28 to 30 January. On the eve of the new year, on 20 January, the Macao Chinese Orchestra holds the “Spring Concert 2017” at the Pak Wai Activity Centre; in turn, the Macao Conservatory presents the “Concert for Welcoming the New Year and Spring” on 24 January, allowing the audience to celebrate the new year under the sound of beautiful melodies.
Regarding exhibitions, “A Spring Breeze in the Southern Greenlands – Exhibition of Lunar New Year Traditions in Guangdong Province, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR” runs from 26 January at the Temporary Exhibitions Gallery of IACM and at the Chun Chou Tong Pavilion in Lou Lim Ioc Garden, introducing Guangdong Province Chinese New Year wood sculptures, lanterns and paper cutting, Hong Kong Cantonese opera and Wong Tai Sin Temple and Hung Chiu Paper Boat Firing ceremonies, as well as objects related to daily lives and festivities of Macao’s former fishermen. Crafts masters will be invited to come to Macau to hold arts and crafts demonstrations and will show, from 26 to 31 January at the Temporary Exhibitions Gallery of IACM, Guangdong Province New Year photos/pictures on wood sculpture, paper cutting in Guangdong style and the process of creating mosaics with crushed porcelain. They will also show, from 11 to 13 February, at the Chun Chou Tong Pavilion in Lou Lim Ioc Garden, clay sculptures in Guangdong style, seed sculptures in Guangdong style and the making of Chinese lanterns in Guangdong style. Additionally, the exhibition “Flower Vessels from the Palace Museum" is still on-going at the MAM, marking the 18th cooperation between the Macao Museum of Arts and the Palace Museum, featuring over 100 sets of precious vessels made from several materials from the Palace Museum and demonstrating scenes linked to the elegance of flowers in the Qing Dynasty. During the exhibition period, docent services will be available from 5pm to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
Also, the Wong Ieng Kuan Children’s Library in Areia Preta Urban Park, the Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Municipal Park, the Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Luís de Camões Garden, the S. Lourenço Library, the Taipa Library and the Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Taipa host several sessions of the “Chinese New Year Story World for Families” in February; those interested are welcome to make registration on-site. On 11 and 12 February, Iong Sam Tong Pavilion in Lou Lim Ioc Garden holds the lecture “Guangdong Spring Festival Celebration”.
IC’s cultural facilities will remain open during Chinese Lunar New Year. For the opening hours and closing days of the cultural facilities, please visit IC’s webpage. Seat reservation is required for some of the above activities. For more information, please contact the IC through tel. no. 8399 6699 during office hours, or stay tuned to activities updates in IC’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo, and its respective WeChat account or “IC Art” page on Facebook.