Chinese bazaar ushers in the Year of the Rabbit |16 January 2023
Ambassador Guo
To mark the start of celebrations for the Chinese spring festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, the embassy of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Association of Seychelles, in collaboration with the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts organised a Chinese bazaar on Saturday afternoon.
The special Seychelles China Day bazaar was held in the car park of the National Museum of History and the large crowd who flocked to the area, among whom members of the Chinese community and tourists, were able to buy and enjoy the taste of Chinese food, among other Chinese artefacts and souvenirs that were being sold.
The bazaar was opened in a soft ceremony held in the presence of Vice-President Ahmed Afif; the Speaker of the National Assembly, Roger Mancienne; ministers, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Sebastien Pillay; the secretary general of the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts, David Andre; and the outgoing Chinese ambassador to Seychelles, Guo Wei, among other invitees.
In his address, Mr Andre, who is also the Mayor of Victoria, said that given our country, from its humble beginnings, welcomed the diverse groups of people with different cultural backgrounds originating from Europe, Asia and Africa, it is fitting that we all join together to celebrate our different cultures, a legacy which has forged us as a Creole nation and has allowed us to live in unity.
He thanked Ambassador Wei for her excellent contributions to the country and to the Mayor’s Office.
On her part, Ambassador Wei, who wished everybody a happy new year of the Rabbit, said she was very happy that the activity to revive the Chinese culture, which is strongly embedded in our culture, has been able to take place. It is the tenth year that the activity is held in the country after it was halted for the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Taking the stand, the chairman of the Chinese Association of Seychelles, Robert Chong Seng, thanked everyone who had helped to make the bazaar possible for everyone to enjoy and to have a good time. During the short ceremony, Ambassador Wei was presented with tokens of appreciation from the Mayor’s Office and from the Chinese Association of Seychelles.
The Seychelles National Choir also performed two songs; one in Creole and one in Chinese, for the occasion.
The variety of Chinese food on sale included fried rice, noodles, meat balls, spring rolls, dumplings, chop suey, sweet and sour pork, crispy pork, fish fillet, bun and spicy skewers among other dishes and desserts. There were also a variety of Chinese water melons on sale.
As the Chinese are celebrating their new year as the Year of the Rabbit, among the many souvenirs on sale which included porcelain artifacts, decorative items and traditional clothing, among others, were different lucky charms to bring good fortune in the homes.
Most people who talked to Seychelles NATION said they were very happy with what were being sold in the bazaar and that the prices were reasonable.
The accompanying photos show some highlights of the bazaar.
Text & photos by Patrick Joubert
