TRADITIONAL songs and dances were just some of the activities as the start of the Chinese New Year was celebrated in style last Saturday in Enniskillen.
Held at St Michael’s Community Hall and organised by the Erne District Chinese Families’ and Friends’ Association, some 90 people attended the event, representing both the Chinese and local communities.
Cathal Hickey and his family took part in some of the day’s performances. Mr Hickey, who is originally from Kildare, worked in China for five years where he met his wife Jamie.
The family have been living in Blacklion for the past year and they have benefited greatly from the Association’s many traditional Chinese activities.
“My wife Jamie’s from Hubei province in China and we met in Nanjing [in Jiangsu province] where I was working in an Irish bar. We moved back in 2013 with our children Peadar [12], Sinéad [10] and Liam [7],” Mr Hickey explained.
“We love coming here. Something is going on nearly every week at the Association, whether it’s a Chinese lesson, arts, pottery or dragon boating. We’ve done all sorts of stuff. Everything has an emphasis on Chinese culture.
“Our children now know these [Chinese] festivals are a big thing and why they are being celebrated. It’s keeping this part of their heritage alive. If we don’t try and bring some Chinese culture into their lives then they’ll know nothing about it.
“We live in an isolated area so to do this is great for them. We want to expose them to Chinese culture as it is a part of their heritage. We’ve been coming in here every week as there are always activities on.”
His wife Jamie Hu Hickey elegantly performed a traditional dance, which wowed the crowd.
“It’s an old Chinese dance and exercise that I was taught many years ago in China,” Jamie explained.
“Coming here regularly to the Association gives me a chance to speak Chinese and let my kids experience Chinese New Year for themselves.
“They can try different things like doing a lion dance. They love it. It gives them more of an idea about their culture.”
Other activities performed by members of the Association included dragon and lion dances, Chinese songs, and a Chen Taijiquan Dao Sabre demonstration, while traditional Chinese food was served at the end of the show.
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Chair, Councillor Thomas O’Reilly, was the guest of honour for the event held to usher in the New Year – which this year marks the Year of the Dragon – and he gave a brief speech.
The Chair of the Association, Jessica Chaffey, expressed her thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund’s Pilot Project for BME groups because without them the association could not have held this and other events during the financial year.
“We are trying to keep Chinese culture alive here,” Ms Chaffey, who is Malaysian Chinese, explained.
“The likes of the Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival are other occasions that we celebrate. We could not do this without help from the National Lottery.”
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