Iloilo City is set to mark the 21st Chinese New Year celebration with a grand cultural show and fireworks display at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand on January 31.
Allan Ryan Tan, president of the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc., emphasized the event’s importance in celebrating the contributions of the Chinese community to the city’s progress and culture.
“This celebration highlights harmony between the Chinese and Filipino communities. Iloilo takes pride in being the first city outside Metro Manila to host such an event,” Tan said.
The celebration will feature a cultural parade with 5,000 participants, including delegations from Hua Siong College of Iloilo, Sun Yat Sen High School, Iloilo Scholastic Academy, Ateneo de Iloilo – Santa Maria Catholic School (ADI-SMCS), Chinese family associations, and volunteer groups.
With the theme, “Providence: A Celebration of Grace, Gratitude, and Growth,” the event focuses on gratitude for past blessings and hope for future prosperity, said ADI-SMCS president Fr. Joseph Raymund Patrick Sanchez, SJ.
Highlights include a thanksgiving Mass at Santa Maria – Chinese Filipino Parish on January 29, a food festival on Aduana Street starting January 30, and dragon boat displays on the Iloilo River.
Mall shows by local Chinese schools will follow on February 1 and 2. (PNA)