Red lanterns are put up along Magallanes Street in downtown Cebu City in preparation for the city’s holding of a Red Lantern Festival on Jan. 21 to welcome and celebrate the Chinese New Year. | Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — After Sinulog 2023, the Cebu City government will now hold another event to celebrate an occasion.
This time, the Cebu City government, through the Cebu City Tourism Commission, is organizing the city’s first-ever Red Lantern Festival on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, at the Plaza Sugbo to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
The Chinese New Year, which is the Year of the Rabbit, starts on Jan. 22.
Cebu City symbolic gesture
Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, chairman of the Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC), said the celebration would be a “symbolic gesture of the Cebuano community in welcoming the Chinese New Year with a new and fresh perspective.”
“The Chinese culture has influenced us a lot since even in early days, they are already doing the trade and commerce in Cebu and most of the members of the Filipino-Chinese community here in Cebu will always celebrate the Chinese New Year,” Pesquera said.
The Red Lantern Festival will be held at the Plaza Sugbo at 4 p.m. on Saturday, where spectators can enjoy performances from Filipino-Chinese students and other participants.
Dragon and Lion Dances
The public can also witness the traditional dragon and lion dance and the performance of some Chinese mascots.
Pesquera said there would also be a fireworks display, sponsored by the Filipino-Chinese community in Cebu City.
“We will start the pre-program at 4 p.m. and then atong maexpect (we can expect) during the 4 p.m., we will be having like the video of the history of our relations with China and as well as the history also of the Chinese museum. We will also have our Chinese forecast by famous Feng Shui expert Marites Allen,” Pesquera said in a press conference on Friday, Jan. 20.
To set up an atmosphere for the celebration, the CCTC has already installed red lanterns along the portion of Magallanes Street.
On Saturday, students can also visit for free the Chinese Museum, across the executive building of Cebu City Hall, from 2 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.
Councilor Joel Garganera, for his part, said the organizers had already been coordinating with the Bureau of Fire Protection, the police, and the Cebu City Traffic Office to maintain peace and order during the celebration.
Temporary road closure
The Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) will implement a temporary road closure along the portion of D. Jakosalem St., from the corner of M.C. Briones St. to Osmeña Boulevard and a portion of Magallanes St., from the corner of D. Jakosalem St. to Manalili St. on Saturday from 2:00 p.m. until the end of the event.
CCTO will also deploy traffic enforcers and aides in the area to manage the flow of vehicular traffic.
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