Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Michael Lam

  • Maidstone Welcomes the Year of the Snake with Vibrant Lunar New Year Celebrations

    Maidstone Welcomes the Year of the Snake with Vibrant Lunar New Year Celebrations

    Maidstone Welcomes the Year of the Snake with Vibrant Lunar New Year Celebrations

    Maidstone marked the arrival of the Year of the Snake with a spectacular Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday 1st February. The Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is the most significant traditional celebration for many East and Southeast Asian cultures. It signifies the start of the lunar calendar year and is typically observed with family reunions, feasts, and cultural traditions aimed at bringing good luck, health, and prosperity for the year ahead.

    The event, produced by Cohesion Plus and Kent Equality Council in partnership with the Maidstone Cultural Group and Maidstone Borough Council, brought together communities to celebrate this important occasion.

    The festivities commenced on Jubilee Square with a traditional ‘Dotting of the Eyes’ ceremony, a symbolic ritual that awakens the Dancing Lions. The ceremony was led by Michael Lam, a member of the Maidstone Cultural Group and a local business owner, alongside Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL, CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council. They were joined by special guests, including Deputy Lieutenant of Kent Andrew Wood and Mayor of Maidstone Cllr John Perry.

    Following the ceremony, the Dancing Lions took centre stage, captivating the crowds with their energetic and mesmerizing movements. The artistic program continued with a range of performances, including the SOAS Chinese Music Ensemble, who enchanted audiences with traditional Shanghai Tea Room melodies, and award-winning dancer Zihan Liu, who delivered a series of exquisite performances inspired by Chinese theatre.

  • Maidstone celebrates Chinese New Year 2022

    Maidstone celebrates Chinese New Year 2022

    Maidstone celebrated the Year of the Tiger in style as hundreds braved the cold weather on Saturday 5th February. Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with Cohesion Plus, Maidstone Cultural Group, and Maidstone Borough Council arranged the first Chinese New Year celebrations since the onset of the pandemic.

    The celebrations began with the dotting of the eye’s ceremony, which involved waking the Chinese Lions and was conducted by dignitaries such the Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Faye Gooch, the Leader of the Council Cllr David Burton, Cabinet Member Cllr Martin Round as well as Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Michael Lam a member of Maidstone Cultural Group and local business owner.

    Gurvinder Sandher commented “I was delighted to work with Maidstone Borough Council and community partners to deliver this event. Great credit needs to be given to Maidstone Cultural Group for supporting us and sharing out vision. We all know that the last few years have been very challenging with the pandemic so it was positive that we were able to welcome in the Year of the Tiger which represents strength and the overcoming of darkness. For me along with the cultural significance, it was also important to showcase that Maidstone Town Centre is open for business and that slowly but surely, we are coming out of the other end of the pandemic.”