Chinese Lantern Festival 2009

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Auckland

View a slideshow of photos from the Auckland Lantern Festival 2009 held on Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 February at Albert Park.

Christchurch

View a slideshow of photos from the Chinese Lantern Festival 2009 held over the weekend of 14 and 15 February at Victoria Square.

Lantern Festival Schools Programme

Auckland Festival of Photography Lantern Blog

The winner of the Lantern Blog for 2009 was Karen Lewis from Albany with this image Red Tree Lantern.

See more of the entries at the Festival of Photography website.

Festival highlights and international performers

We started the Lantern Festival in 2000, the Year of the Dragon, and this year – the Year of the Ox – we will have worked our way through 10 of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.

In Auckland this year, we celebrated another anniversary - the 20th anniversary of the Auckland-Guangzhou sister city relationship. A spectacular new lantern, gifted to the people of Auckland to commemorate the anniversary, was on display.

Changing faces Sichuan style

Face-changing, or "bianlian" in Chinese, is an important intangible cultural heritage originating in Sichuan Opera in western China and dating back 300 years. The best face-changers can change more than 10 masks in less than 20 seconds.

The Nine Lion Puppet Theatre

Last seen at the Lantern Festival in 2002, the Nine Lion Puppet Theatre has its own highly ornate mobile wooden stage which has been specially shipped over from China. The Nine Lion puppets are attached to ropes suspended horizontally below the neck of the dragon which projects from the roof of the theatre. The Nine Lion Puppet Theatre has been taught by villagers to the professional Wu Opera Troupe.

Sichuan rod puppeteers

The puppeteer is in full view, but all eyes are on the elegant rod puppet as she admires herself in a mirror before delicately sniffing a bouquet of flowers.
Based on an excerpt from a Sichuan opera, The Beauty of the World tells the story of a fairy who descends to earth and becomes infatuated with the life of humans.

Wu Opera

Opera is one of China’s most beloved musical genres, with each province of China having its own distinctive operatic characteristics. Audiences at this year’s Lantern Festival will have the rare opportunity to sample Wu Opera, also known as Jinhua Opera - the second major operatic genre in China’s coastal Zhejiang Province.

Background

What is the Chinese Lantern Festival all about? Click here to find out.

2009 - the Year of the Ox

2008 - the Year of the Rat

Sponsors and supporters

Thanks to our supports whose support made the 2009 free event possible.

Auckland Event Partner:

Principal Sponsor:

Sponsors:

Cathay Pacific, The Lion Foundation, TV3, Christchurch City Council, Cosco, Lee Kum Kee, ACC, Big FM Auckland, SkyCity Auckland Community Trust, The Canterbury Community Trust, Bartfoot and Thompson, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, More FM Canterbury, Perry Foundation, Copthorne Hotel Christchurch Central and Eureka Trust.