Dragons, traditional costumes and KPOP: these are the keys to the Chinese New Year parade in Zaragoza

The Chinese New Year, which began on January 29 under the sign of the Wooden Snake, arrives with a great celebration in the capital of Aragon. On February 2, Zaragoza will be dressed in red and yellow to host the Chinese New Year Parade, which will go through some of the main streets of the city and fill them with music and color.

SCHEDULE AND ROUTE

The parade will begin at 12 noon on Calle Fuenclara, from where a procession of more than 100 dancers, martial arts specialists, singers and personalities from Chinese culture will parade down Calle Alfonso I and end in Plaza del Pilar. The parade will feature the popular and legendary figure of the giant puppet dragon, accompanied by traditional lions. They will be accompanied by a large number of people dressed in different traditional Chinese costumes, playing percussion instruments and supported by the Coscorrón animation band.

MUSIC AND DANCE

In the Plaza del Pilar, in the area of ​​the Government Delegation, the Zaragoza City Council has set up a stage that will host, at around 12.30, different music and dance performances inspired by the legacy of Chinese culture. The dragon will give way to the lion dance of the Chinese School, a dance preserved since ancient times, with origins in martial arts and which serves, according to tradition, to drive away evil spirits from the earthly world.

The performances will continue with traditional Chinese dance and Chinese opera, performed by teachers from the Confucius Institute of the University of Zaragoza, which welcomes 800 students in its branches in Aragon. The programme of the stage includes martial arts demonstrations by the Gowng Zau Kung Fu School, KPOP dance and a parade of models in traditional Chinese costume, by the Chinese School. Chinese folk songs will also be present at the event and the students of the Institute will perform “Youthful Joy in the Year of the Snake”. The Chinese New Year is the most important traditional holiday for this oriental community in Zaragoza, made up of almost 6,000 Chinese.

This event, already established as one of the most anticipated festivities, takes place thanks to the collaboration of the Zaragoza City Council and the Confucius Institute of the University of Zaragoza, and coincides with the celebration of San Valero.