Feb 07, Kathmandu: Chinese New Year Lantern Exhibition ceremony was successfully opened on Wednesday evening at Ratnapark with the presence of Minister of Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal, Mr. Sudan Kirati and Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, His Excellency Chen Song. The light event of new year was conducted to welcome the dragon year, a symbol of fate, wisdom and power and to invite Nepalese friends into the Chinese merrymaking. This is the first lantern festival celebrated in Nepal.

Ratnapark was lighted with Chinese red lights as a symbol of luck and the park was fully decorated with different kinds of mythical characters lamp signifying different animals of different Chinese year. As for being the dragon year welcome, the park was also lighted with big structural formation of dragon lamps giving the chills of Chinese New year in a full swing.

The dragon shaped lantern was jointly lighted by Ambassador Chen Song and Minister Sudan Kirati. The ceremony formally begun with the exchange of greetings and good wishes from both parties.

They also together visited the whole park under the freshly decorated red lights of festivity and togetherness exchanging their conversation, joy and happiness.

Minister Kirati addressed China as a very close neighbor and old friends who are indeed an inevitable part of us because Nepalese believe that they are "jeudako janti mardaa ko malami" which can be translated as "one who participate in our marriage when alive and funeral during death" and wished them happy upcoming dragon year 2024.

Chen Song, the Chinese ambassador to Nepal, expressed his belief that turning off thelights of other people's houses will not light up his own house. He disclosed that the organization of this light show reflected the deep friendship between the people of China and Nepal announcing that more cooperation projects would be conducted in Nepal in the coming days to provide more benefits to the people of the two countries and imparted new year good wishes to all the guests of the night.

Minister Kirati also brushed some Nepalese greetings with Chinese culture of calligraphy wishing Chinese New Year to all the Chinese and Nepalese participating in the ceremony and beyond.

The ceremony was full with cultural food, dance, music, songs, cultural exchanges, wishes, smiles and happiness. Snacks especially cherished during the lantern festival were provided to the participants of the ceremony. Altogether around 1000 Chinese and Nepalese joined the event with exuberance sharing their warmth. 

Some other glimpses of the event are:

IMG_3000