Chinese New Year celebrations in Leeds
Nov 08, 2023 02:55 pm
Chinese New Year begins today, although it may seem like just another grey Thursday in Leeds, it is actually the beginning of the fifteen day festival in China. Do not fear, as there are many ways to take part and join in with celebrations in Leeds, so you too can bring in the Year of the Sheep… or the goat
The Leeds Chinese Community Association hosts their annual celebration at Leeds Town Hall on Sunday 22nd February. This year will see live music, dance performances, traditional food, and calligraphy. The celebration will have something for all ages from Tai Chi to face painting for the young at heart.
As we all know the best way to welcome any new year is to enjoy unthinkable amounts of food. Maxi’s restaurant can help out with this, for £18 you can over indulge on their four-course banquet offering classic Chinese dishes, along with performances of all kinds from music to traditional Lion Dancers.
A staple of many cuisines around the world, certainly taking a prominent place in Chinese cooking, get yourself down to the dumpling making workshop at Leeds University. What better way to celebrate the year of the sheep than whipping up a batch of your own dumplings? The event is organised by The Business Confucius Institute who are a non-profit institution, hosting a variety of events each month. The workshops are a great place to meet new people, learn some new skills and try something new.
Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea at Harvey Nichols
If you’re feeling a bit posh then head over to Harvey Nichols for a bespoke afternoon tea at the Fourth Floor Café on Thursday 19th February. There will be a range of one-off signature dishes served with some Eastern Teas and a fortune bag. They will even be giving away red envelopes for you to take away containing some personal treats. The downfall is that it is £25 per person, however if you fancy something different with quality food it could be worth heading down.
The historic Temple Newsam House is hosting it’s own celebrations this year with a free activity session exploring a range of Chinese artefacts from their collection. The event is taking place from Tuesday 17th to Thursday 19th February and will give you a chance to unleash your creativity and make your own Chinese artefacts and keepsakes.
Ways to celebrate at home
As students times can sometimes be hard in terms of cash in the pocket. So if that’s the case and you can’t afford afternoon tea at Harvey Nics here’s a few alternatives. One tradition of welcoming in the Chinese New Year is to partake in a spot of spring-cleaning. What better way to welcome in the year than giving the student house a good old clean? If that’s absolutely out of the question why not get everyone together for your own homemade feast. Make sure to include some fish and dumplings, which are thought to bring prosperity and host your own low budget celebration.
This post was written by Iqra Amanat
