“Happy Chinese New Year” Lantern Festival Fair held at Colombo Port City (Pics)

2026-03-02 - 07:38

The “Happy Chinese New Year” Lantern Festival Fair was held from Feb. 27 – 28 at the newly inaugurated Food Harbour at Colombo Port City. The opening night was graced by a host of distinguished guests including Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka and – Mr. Qi Zhenhong, madam Jin Qian, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning – Dr. Anil Jayantha, Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs – Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, Governor of the Western Province – Mr. Hanif Yusoof, officials of the Chinese Cultural Centre and Colombo Port City as well as locals and the Chinese community in Colombo. Supervised by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Sri Lanka, the event was co-hosted by China Cultural Centre in Sri Lanka, Western Province Provincial Council, CHEC Port City Colombo (Private) Ltd., Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture Radio Television and Tourism, and Sri Lanka Overseas Chinese Association. A fusion of cultural events from both Sri Lanka and China and a vibrant fireworks display added colour to the opening night while performances from the Sri Lankan Navy added to the festivities of both days. The event featured 20 Chinese businesses and merchants in Colombo, alongside 30 local Sri Lankan businesses, featuring authentic cuisine from both countries, specialty products, tourism-related cultural and creative goods, and traditional Intangible Cultural Heritage crafts. The venue also featured crafts, lantern displays, interactive folk activities, traditional experiential activities such as Pitch-pot (Touhu), traditional opera mask painting, live portrait sketching, calligraphy, guessing lantern riddles, and round fan dyeing, allowing visitors to feel the charm of traditional Chinese culture through hands-on interaction. According to the organisers, the fair was not a mere vibrant showcase of traditional Chinese culture but also a vivid practice in fostering people-to-people bonds between China and Sri Lanka. It also extends heartfelt New Year blessings to the overseas Chinese community living in Sri Lanka while opening a window for the Sri Lankan people to better understand and connect with China, they point out. (Pics : Shanika Jayasekara)