LIGHTING THE WAY - Around 1,100 people in traditional costumes will participate in a parade across the streets of the Chợ Lớn area in District 5 on February 12 to celebrate Tết Nguyên Tiêu (Lantern Festival). VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hương

HCM CITY — Around 1,100 people in traditional costumes will participate in a parade across the streets of Chợ Lớn (Big Market) area in HCM City’s District 5 to celebrate the Tết Nguyên Tiêu (Lantern Festival).

The parade will be held from 4:30pm to 6:30pm on February 12, the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar.

It will start from Hải Thượng Lãn Ông Street, go across the main streets of Chợ Lớn including Châu Văn Liêm, Lão Tử, Lương Nhữ Học, Nguyễn Trãi, and Trần Xuân Hòa, and finish at District 5’s Cultural Centre.

The parade will also include performances from local Kylin–Lion–Dragon dance troupes, circus acts, and traditional dances.

The main celebration will begin at 7:30pm at the cultural centre at 105 Trần Hưng Đạo Street.

It will feature Chinese music and dance performances, calligraphy demonstrations by local artisans, folk games and cuisine.

The programme will also feature a photo exhibition demonstrating the Lantern Festival in Chợ Lớn through the years.

ANIMAL DANCING - A Kylin–Lion–Dragon dance performance to celebrate the Lantern Festival. VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hương

Meanwhile, a poetry reading event titled Đêm Thơ Việt Nam (A Night of Vietnamese Poetry) will be held at the cultural centre at 7pm on February 10 to celebrate Việt Nam Poetry Day.

The event is organised by the city Department of Culture and Sports, and its partners the city Writers’ Association, and People’s Committees of Districts 5, 6 and 11.

It will feature performances of poetry clubs in the city, and poetry reading with music and dance.

The organisers will also host two nights of poetry reading with the topic of Bài Ca Thống Nhất (The Song of Reunification) on February 11 and 12 at the HCM City Union of Literature and Arts Associations, 81 Trần Quốc Thảo Street in District 3.

The Lantern Festival, celebrated by the Hoa ethnic group in Chợ Lớn, was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2020. — VNS