Lunar New Year celebrations kick-off around the Maritimes

The Lunar New Year, Shrove Tuesday and Ramadan coincide this year, giving followers a reason to gather and celebrate.

Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is bringing celebrations across the country, including the Maritimes.

Lunar New Year is celebrated by more than 20 per cent of the world and is considered China’s most important holiday.

“Chinese New Year means a lot to us, to the Chinese and local Chinese,” says Suping Shi, the president of the Greater Saint John Chinese Cultural Association.

Shi says the history goes back centuries.

As legend has it, people believed certain symbols like fireworks and the colour red, could fight off monsters.

“So, the Chinese thought, the red light, the sound (will) kick him away. Kick the bad things away. So, they carried on the tradition. And then they also learned togetherness, and united together to have strength,” she says.

The Association will welcome the Year of the Horse through its 2026 Great Saint John Lunar New Year Gala happening on Feb 22. at the Imperial Theatre.

This time of year, is also sacred for Muslims around the world, as they mark the beginning of Ramadan.

“This is the month of compassion…we all come together in the month of Ramadan. We pray together; we break our fast together. It’s also the month of giving and charity,” says Wael Haridy, Imam and education director at Sabeel Muslim Youth & Community Center in Bedford.

He says the center will carry out a program they’ve been running for four years, which provides 150 meals each week to international students at Nova Scotia universities.

“This is open to all the students, Muslims and non-Muslims. We wanted them to share (with) us the spirit of Ramadan,” he says.

“We found that most international students, they miss their families in the month of Ramadan because it’s the time where families come together. So, we came to this idea...to just get something from your table to somebody at university who doesn’t have a family. Just telling them we are your family here.”

Haridy says the center is planning a ‘building bridges’ Iftar on Feb 28.

“We are doing this in collaboration with the newcomers’ department in HRCE. And we are inviting everybody just to make teachers more culture responsive, to just tell people what Ramadan is about and just to make them understand how Muslim students actually fast.”

Meanwhile, many in the Christian faith are serving up and getting served pancakes to commemorate Shrove Tuesday as Lent begins Wednesday.

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