If you're in Brazil during the Chinese New Year, head to Liberdade, in São Paulo for a celebration attended by over 200,000 people. In 2012, the country's most famous Asian district will ring in in the Year of the Dragon on Jan. 21 and 22.
Chinese New Year in Liberdade
Photo courtesy of Ano Novo Chinês
The Chinese New Year celebration in Liberdade, São Paulo, is the best of its kind in Brazil. Since 2006, this event featuring dance, music, a food festival and fireworks has been organized by the Junior Chamber International - JCI. The organization focuses on cultural diffusion and on promoting the cultural exchange between Brazil and China.
Some of the highlights in the celebrations in Liberdade are the passage of a 15-meter dragon and fireworks. Most of the dance and music presentations take place on a large stage set up for the event on Praça da Liberdade, the district's main square.
Pre-Festival Events
Chinese New Year celebrations in S. Paulo also include pre-festival events. In 2011, those were held at the Villa-Lobos and Ibirapuera parks at the Aclimação Garden and at MASP.
2012 pre-festival events have not yet been announced as of this update.
Photos of Chinese New Year in Brazil
Leonardo Neto/Courtesy of Festa do Ano Novo Chinês na Liberdade
See photos of Chinese New Year festivities in São Paulo, including the first pre-festival event of 2011: the celebrations held at Parque da Independência (Independence Park), site of Museu Paulista, on Jan.16.
A Strong Presence in Brazil Culture
Photo courtesy of Ano Novo Chinês
Chinese immigrants and their descendants have come a long way in Brazil, excelling in a vast range of fields, including trade, technology and medicine. The Chinese New Year celebrations are a fantastic opportunity to experience the presence of China in Brazil.
According to José Roberto Teixeira Leite, author of the book A China no Brasil (Unicamp, 1999), of the 200,000 Chinese people and descendants living in Brazil today, over 130,000 hail from São Paulo.
The first 2,000 Chinese immigrants arrived in Brazil to work on tea farms. Only upon arrival did they find out that they were bound to eight-year contracts which subjected them to a semi-slavery system. There was no turning back: China had ostracized them for leaving their homeland.
More About Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year in São Paulo - More Information
Where: Praça da Liberdade, at the Liberdade subway station (blue line)
When: Jan.21-22, 2012
Official website: anonovochines.com.br
