In celebration of the 12th Anniversary of Macao’s Handover to China, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (CAB) has organised the “Parade through Macau, Latin City”, to be held December 20th at 3:30pm. The parade route will travel through Macao’s Latin quarters, highlighting the everlasting appeal of those neighbourhoods with a variety of charming and lively performances.
The jubilant “Parade through Macau, Latin City” is a large-scale event featuring magnificent performances from artists who cherish their native arts and culture. The performers will intermingle with audiences, and together they will follow the procession in the spirit of Macao’s centuries-old harmonious integration of East and West. The performers will encourage enthusiastic public participation, leading onlookers through the streets and alleyways and introducing them to Macao’s Cultural Heritage, for a profound experience of the City’s multicultural charm. Artists and groups from all over the globe, along with numerous local talents, will set out on their performing journey from the city’s iconic Ruins of St. Paul’s, continuing on to the enchanting St. Lazarus Church and surrounding District through brightly decorated streets and alleys until reaching the final destination on Tap Seac Square.
The Parade is organised by the the CAB together with the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM), the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ), the Macao Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation Between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, the Public Security Police Force (PSP), the Transport Bureau (DSAT), the Macao Corps of Firefighters (CDBM) and the Macao Association for the Promotion of Exchange between Asia-Pacific and Latin America (MAPEAL). The CAB has also received support from the Macao General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (UGAMM), the Macao Sam Pa Mun Residents Mutual Aid Association, the Macao Soi Ho Cheok Residents Mutual Aid Association and Vitasoy. TDM (Macao Broadcasting) will transmit the live television broadcast, and CTM is the event’s official communications partner.
Opening at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, Finale at Tap Seac Square
The opening ceremony takes place at 3:30pm at the Ruins of St. Paul’s. The area will be open to the public from 3pm. The parade begins with an imposing, magnificent flying dragon, tailor-made for the event by the French group Les Plasticiens Volants. The procession will then be led by visiting Latin groups and original Chinese native dance troupes, joined by local performers, all of whom will keep participants’ spirits high along the way. The procession follows an itinerary including Rua de D. Belchior Carneiro, Rua dos Artilheiros, Rua de Sanches de Miranda, Calçada da Igreja de São Lázaro, Igreja de São Lázaro e Adro, Rua do Volong, Rua do Tap Seac and Rua de Afonso de Albuquerque, culminating in a joint performance on Tap Seac Square to be held at 6pm. For this large-scale extravaganza, all the groups and artists will come together on stages symbolising “Love, Peace and Cultural Integration” in a magnificent, original and varied performance sure to captivate all those in attendance. At Tap Seac Square, local illustrator Pak Keong Sequeira, and painters Tam Chek Wun and Lei Tak Seng will fill a blank canvas with their art before the audience’s eyes, enthralling all in their creative process.
Artists and groups from Macao, Mainland China, Portugal, Italy and France are joined by performers from Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador and Costa Rica, among other Latin American countries, to highlight the harmonious fusion of Macao’s unique cultural characteristics.
Performing groups and artists
The CAB has invited a large number of groups and artists to participate in this parade and vividly portray Macao’s Latin charm through their graceful and characteristic rhythms and movements. Among them are Amalgama Dance Company, PIA (Artistic Intervention Projects) and Tumbala from Portugal. Tumbala’s acrobat-musicians create sounds and sound effects with plastic tubes and Latin instruments. The dynamic French group Les Plasticiens Volants will celebrate the Handover by lifting a magnificent air balloon to the skies, to the delight and awe of the audience. Osadía, from Spain, will amaze the audience with their hair art exhibitions, seeking out volunteers from the audience to participate in daring and original makeovers.
The famed Peruvian group Jallmay will present the Dance of the Scissors, a traditional dance native to the Peruvian Andes region that was inscribed this year on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This dance, a fusion of various cultures, combines art with physical ability. The dancers wear colourful garments and, in their right hand, carry two steel blades resembling scissors. Accompanied by harps and violins, they perform physically challenging movements while making the “scissors” sing and dance. The Chilean-Australian Fonda La Clinica and the Italian Compagnia “La Giostra”, joined by still more Latin American performers, will add to the revelry and enthusiasm of the event.
The CAB has also invited the Popular Arts Performing Touring Group, an ensemble that is part of the People’s Republic of China’s Folk Culture Scheme. This national cultural conservation was initiated ten years ago in the China’s southwestern regions, where there are significant populations of ethnic minorities. The Scheme’s core tenet is to ‘invigorate, inherit and pass down’ national culture. The Performing Touring Group includes artists from the Pumi, Zhuang, Huayaoyi, Lisu and Hani ethnicities, among others. Also participating in the parade and celebrating the Handover are more than 20 groups from Macao, who will delight audiences with their radiant performances.
Facilities and enquiries
To insure public safety and comfort on parade day, the CAB has co-operated with several governmental departments to provide a first-aid station, service centre (for souvenirs and information) and restrooms along the parade route. Streets on the parade route will be temporarily closed to traffic on parade day. Further details on closures and other traffic arrangements will be announced by the organiser at a later date. For more details on the event and its contents and participating artists, please refer to the CAB’s website at www.icm.gov.mo , or call 8399 6699.
