KUCHING, Feb 11 — Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg and his wife Puan Sri Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang graced the Kuching Teochew Association’s Chinese New Year (CNY) Spring Festival mass gathering today.
Held at Wisma Teochew in Jalan Tabuan here, the event coincided with the association’s 160th anniversary celebration.
The association’s president Chew Boon Seng, welcomed the arrival of Abang Johari and his wife, alongside other invited dignitaries.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and Sarawak State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki were among the invited guests present at the event.
At the event, invited guests were treated to traditional Teochew cuisine alongside lion dance performances.
This event was one of the series of activities planned in conjunction with the association’s 160th anniversary celebration this year.
In addition to the Chinese New Year celebration, there will also be a temple fair on the third day of March on the Lunar Calendar in conjunction with the celebration of the birthday of deity Hiang Tiang Siang Ti, Teochew Cultural Festival, Teochew Food Festival and a mass birthday celebration for the association’s senior members.
One of the highlights of the anniversary celebration is the association’s 160th anniversary dinner which is scheduled to be held on June 16 with local and overseas clan members expected to attend.
At the same time, activities scheduled for mid-June will also include the Youth Teochew Opera Cultural Camp, Teochew Delicacies Demonstration, Teochew Academic Forum, Kuching Teochew Association Historical Exhibition, Teochew Cultural Night, and the All Sarawak Teochew Communities Conference.
From July to October, there will be a Sarawak Day colouring competition, an art exhibition, a coming-of-age ceremony for the teenagers, Hungry Ghost Festival, a traditional food fair for Kuching Festival, a moon worshiping festival held in conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, and a dinner for the elderly in conjunction with the Enlightenment Day of the Deity on the ninth day of September in the Lunar Calendar. — Borneo Post
