IN PICTURES: Chinese New Year in Inverness
Chinese New Year celebrations brought some welcome colour to a city centre still in the grip of winter at the weekend.
On Saturday Yee’s Hung Ga Kung Fu Academy performed a Lion dance at the Victorian Market to mark the year of the water rabbit.
The group also staged a Lion and Dragon “duet” in the Eastgate Shopping Centre on Sunday, which was followed by a traditional blessing of shops around the centre to bring them luck for the year ahead which raised funds for MFR’s Cash for Kids.
Chief instructor at the academy, Simon Heppel said: “It was a great event and it went really well. We had four new lions this year, so we did a blessing on them too. We went around and blessed 16 shops in the centre.”
“It was a great chance to raise vital funds for MFR’s Cash for Kids too.”
Chinese culture follows the lunar calendar and the year of the water rabbit symbolises hope and prosperity.
Tonight, Scottish Highlands & Islands and Moray Chinese Association (SHIMCA) will also hold celebrations across the city.
Members plan to visit schools and care homes during the day and in the evening a lion dance will take place in the High Street at 5.30pm, followed by a musical performance and meal in the town house.
