Hundreds braved the cold weather in Liverpool city centre today to welcome the Chinese New Year of the Rooster.
This year festivities were bigger than ever before with Liverpool marking the occasion with three days of celebrations. Since Friday, lumiere projections have lit up the Chinese Arch, the Black-E and The Arch for an hour each night, telling the story of Jingwei and the Ocean.
Liverpool, which is home to one of the oldest and largest Chinese communities in Europe, hosted a family fun day of celebrations including the traditional dragon parade through the streets.
Many people were covering their ears as the loud bangs from the firecrackers were set off at several points throughout the noisy parade.
YouTube: JMU Journalism
Liam Fortune from the Liverpool Chinese Business Association, told JMU Journalism: “There is a lot of traditional Chinese things going on today like the lion dance, the stands at the top of the street with the Chinese meals and the stage just down the bottom with all the shows on. Also the light projections are really good, I was here last night myself and they look really nice.”
Comparing today to the previous turnout, Liam added: “Looking around now it doesn’t seem as busy as it was last year but that’s because it’s a lot bigger this year. I think there is plenty of people here but there just spread out in different areas at the moment.”
The city waved goodbye to the Year on the Monkey in style with a variety of singing, dancing and performing acts during the day.
Lucy Green, 35, from Liverpool, told JMU Journalism: “It’s the first time I’ve been to these celebrations – I don’t normally come to Chinatown so it’s nice to see this area and part of the city. It’s good because there’s plenty of stuff to keep the kids entertained and it’s a nice atmosphere.”
Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rooster are said to be loyal, trustworthy individuals, who are blunt when it comes to offering their opinions.