3000 Audiences Enjoyed The Light-up Celebration of 2019 Toronto Qinhuai Lantern Festival on Family Day

 

"We found this lantern festival through Google search; the lanterns are beautiful and delicate, now I understand why it’s one of China's intangible cultural heritages. We also celebrate lantern festival in India so I am very happy that my family can celebrate the family day and lantern festival together at the Qinhuai Lantern Festival!"

"This is my second time attending the Qinhuai Lantern Festival. I am a Vietnamese and I am going to taste Qinhuai cuisine with my husband. It was not until today that I know people should eat sweet and fragrant Yuanxiao-Tangyuan on the Lantern Festival."

 

"We are Americans coming from Secaucus, New Jersey. We didn't expect to see so many beautiful lanterns. This is a very memorable family day!"

"As a local Canadian, I have consecutively participated four Toronto Qinhuai Lantern Festival. I can say that I have witnessed the development of this community activity. It’s very unique and attracting a large number of people from different ethnic groups in the community to participate. This multicultural activity is gradually promoting the community integration. "

 

On the evening of February 18th, the temperature has dropped to minus 20 degrees. But such severe weather could not extinguish the enthusiasm of people attending the 7th Toronto Qinhuai Lantern Festival – Over 3,000 people from nearly 50 towns across the United States and Canada have come to Toronto at 1500 Birchmount Road. The uniqueness of lanterns, the stream of visitors, the smiles of people from different ethnic groups, combined to create a "very happy, very successful" night!

 

Watch Chinese lion dance, appreciate Qinhuai lanterns, enjoy Chinese traditional song and dance, solve riddles, taste Qinhuai snacks, win lucky prizes! The 2019-The 7th Toronto Qinhuai Lantern Festival is co-organized by the Ontario-Jiangsu Friendship Association and the Jiangsu Overseas Exchange Association, specially supported by the Jiangsu Overseas Chinese Affairs Office. The theme of this year’s lantern festival was “Happy lantern festival, happy family day”. Overseas display of the unique elements of Chinese traditional culture, further deepen the cultural exchanges and long-standing friendship between the two provinces of Ontario and Jiangsu, Canada and China. The 7th Toronto Qinhuai Lantern Festival has its own unique features, showing China's “intangible cultural heritages” lantern art, traditional folk culture, as well as the famous Qinhuai cuisine, which has left unforgettable memory for the guests of all ethnic groups.

 

"As with family day, lantern festival is also about family reunion and unity within a family" Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Lantern Festival and president of Ontario-Jiangsu Friendship Association, Dr. Li Ningyu said, “Harmony in family brings prosperity, enjoy the evening with your family, like the original qinhuai lantern fair, there are a lot of things that you can do with your family and friends: viewing the colorful lanterns, visiting “Charming Jiangsu” photography exhibition, taste Qinhuai snacks, enjoying live music and dance, participating in traditional Chinese festival activities.” The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival and the last day of the Chinese New Year. On this day, Chinese living all over the world will hold an event to celebrate. The Toronto Qinhuai Lantern Festival is the only large-scale multi-ethnic celebration of the Lantern Festival in Canada. It has three characteristics: all ages, bilingual, and non-profit.

 

The "Toronto Qinhuai Lantern Festival" has been held for seven consecutive years, and has developed into a popular large-scale Chinese intangible cultural heritage theme light festival in the local community of Greater Toronto area. It has not only received positive response and enthusiastic pursuit from local people, but also has the vigorous support by Canadian and Chinese governments. Canadian Federal Prime Minister Trudeau, Jiangsu Provincial Overseas Chinese Affairs Office Director Wang Hua, Chinese Consul General in Toronto Han Tao, Canadian Federal Congressman Salma Zahid, Alice Wong, Shaun Chen, Tan Geng and Michael Chong, Governor of Ontario Doug Ford, Provincial Councillors Vincent Ke and Daisy Wai, Toronto Mayor John Tory, Deputy Mayor Michael Thomson and City Councilor Cynthia Lai and other political leaders sent a congratulatory letter to congratulate the success of the 7th Toronto Qinhuai Lantern Festival. Consuls of the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto, Yang Baohua and Li Sining, visited and celebrated the Lantern Festival and the Family Day. In his speech, Consul General Yang Baohua represented the motherland, also represented the Consul General and all the staff, congratulated the Lantern Festival on its success and congratulated overseas Chinese for their Happy New Year.

At the same time, famous Toronto media such as CityTV (local English), 680 News Radio (local English), multicultural TV station OMNI TV (Mandarin, Cantonese), New Times TV (Mandarin, Cantonese), China News Service Toronto branch, the Xinhua News Agency in Toronto, the Phoenix Satellite TV Toronto Branch (Mandarin) and community Chinese media www.CCNews.ca, all visited the event and give positive reports. The China News Service live broadcasted the event and thousand of people throughout China watched it.

 

The Toronto Qinhuai Lantern Festival is inheriting and sharing the profound and traditional Chinese culture with all ethnic groups!