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To celebrate the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will organise four lantern carnivals throughout the territory from tomorrow (September 22). Admission to all four carnivals is free.
The carnivals will be held at Tung Chung Man Tung Road Park tomorrow, at Tai Po Waterfront Park on Sunday (September 23), at Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza on Monday (September 24), and at Victoria Park on Tuesday (September 25).
All carnivals will feature the Ethnic Arts Parades presented by the Chinese Ethnic Arts Troupe. Demonstrating the diverse cultural spectrum of China, more than 150 performers including many renowned ethnic artists from all over China will take part in the parade. They will perform traditional dance and indigenous music of the Mongolian, Tibetan, Miao, Korean, Yi, Tujia, Uygur, Dai and Han groups. Other highlights include demonstrations of making traditional handicraft and the exquisite ethnic costume "fashion" shows displaying the aesthetics of various Chinese ethnic groups.
The four venues to stage the lantern carnivals are decorated with beautiful lanterns. The Victoria Park lantern carnival displays a 10-metre spectacular lantern "Harvest Harmony" depicting the reverence the Chinese ethnic minorities have for their ancestors and divinities, with the totem illumination showcasing the legends and myths of Chinese ethnic minorities about nature.
Details of the four lantern carnivals are as follows:
1. New Territories West Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival
September 22 (Saturday), 7.30pm-10.30pm
Tung Chung Man Tung Road Park
Programmes: Chinese Ethnic Arts Parade, handicraft
demonstrations, lantern quiz, fortune-
telling and lantern display
2. New Territories East Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival
September 23 (Sunday), 7.30pm-10.30pm
Tai Po Waterfront Park
Programmes: Lion dance, Chinese Ethnic Arts
Parade, Chinese instrumental music,
Chinese ethnic costume show, Chinese
ethnic songs and dance performance,
traditional stage arts show, nostalgic
games, lantern quiz, fortune-telling,
handicraft demonstrations and lantern
display
3. Kowloon Region Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival
September 24 (Monday), 7.30pm-10.30pm
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza
Programmes: Chinese Ethnic Arts Parade, Chinese
instrumental music, Chinese ethnic
songs and dance performance,
traditional stage arts show, lantern
quiz, fortune-telling, handicraft
demonstrations and lantern display
4. Hong Kong Island Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival
September 25 (Tuesday), 8pm-11pm
Victoria Park
Programmes: Chinese Ethnic Arts Parade,
traditional stage arts show, nostalgic
games, lantern quiz, fortune-telling,
handicraft demonstrations and lantern
display
The spectacular lanterns "10 Brothers Dance with the Dragon" at Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza are made up with an 80-metre dragon lantern and 10 life-size lanterns of "10 brothers", who symbolised the concerted efforts of Hong Kong people. The displays run until October 21.
Other spectacular lantern displays, the "100 Creatures Gather and Glitter", are being staged at West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade until October 1. The displays showcase lanterns in the shape of 10 types of creatures, among which is the eye-catching Fuwa Huanhuan, the mascot of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, riding on a horse and ready for the Equestrian Events.
An exhibition featuring the winning designs and all entries of the 2007 Mid-Autumn Lantern Design Competition, is running at the Exhibition Gallery, G/F, Hong Kong Central Library until September 29.
People are urged to avoid littering and wax-burning while celebrating the festival.
For more information about the events above, please call 2591 1340 or visit the website: www.lcsd.gov.hk/eo.
Ends/Friday, September 21, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:00
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