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In early February Johannesburg celebrated the Chinese New Year on Derrick avenue Cyrildene. The gods were kind as there was no rain. Everyone enjoyed the warm evening under clear dark skies.
The festivities began early as people arrived at Chinese entrance portals marking China Town from 4pm but the show only got underway as the light faded.
Entrance to Chinatown on Derrick Avenue (Kathy Munro)
Dignatries including the retinue of China’s ambassador, Mr Jiang Zaidong as well as local government officials were welcomed with due ceremony and many speeches. We were entertained with a variety show of dance displays, young, energetic, vibey and accompanied by resounding drum rolls. My favourite was a hauntingly lyrical group from Manchuria. Another treat was traditional Chinese singing and dance. Local traditional dancers in fine leopard pelts strutted the stage.
Performers at Chinese New Year 2025 (Kathy Munro)
It was a fantastic joyous celebration of cultural inclusiveness and diversity. Thousands of people gathered and had fun on Derrick Avenue. Many Chinese participants wore traditional costumes. Bags of sweets were thrown from the moving float.
Chinese New Year festivities included the lion visiting each Chinese shop on the street. King Pon explained:
The Lion visits each and every shop dancing as he enters to perform the rites of the new year welcome. Inside at the entrance above the door is a bunch of lettuce or green vegetables. Attached is a lucky red packet with money. The lion “eats” the greens and takes the red packet, makes a thank you gesture and offers a good wish bow to the owner and then retreats. The roll of crackers is then lit to dissipate the evil spirits and the new year is welcomed.
As the night fell, magnificent displays of fireworks lit the heavens and sparkles of stars and bursts of multicolour neon lights exploded above. It was a spectacle to enthral and bring forth the inner child as we marvelled and happily watched the wonder of light colour and noise. A police presence was visible but low key, so everyone felt at ease and secure. It was an orderly gathering of happy humanity.
Crowds gather to watch the fireworks (Kathy Munro)
Derrick Avenue has become the spine of Chinese Cultural life... a street of restaurants, grocery stores and vegetable stalls. There are touches of Chinese architecture with traditional tiled roofs and tilted eaves. It’s a taste of old Beijing in Jo’burg.
It was a heritage festival of colour, noise and visual delights. The Lunar New Year in this single street, pedestrianised for a single day, saw thousands gather to enjoy the spectacle of fireworks, the dragon dance, the lion dance, tens of thousands of crackers let off leaving a red carpet of fractured fine paper debris.
The Dragon Dance (Kathy Munro)
A real festival feel (Kathy Munro)
Noisy energy of spirit and good will exuded from every crevice and cranny. Restaurants and stalls selling Chinese delicacies made for a celebration of exotic culinary tastes and delicious food sensations.
Night fell and the lemon lustrous moon smiled on the crowds. The treat of the spectacular fireworks display was noisy and fun. It was a wonderful evening... varied, inclusive, festive, interesting, culturally diverse. A well organised event, this substantial cultural festival draws the crowds but behind the scenes there is a lot of planning and good logistics.
This was the best good show case for the Chinese community presenting a Chinese presence. Chinese immigration to South Africa has added to the cosmopolitan feel of the city. We shared in a celebration of cultural diversity under an African sky. The Chinese community did Joburg proud!
Thank you to the Pon family for their hospitality.
Kathy Munro is an Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand. She enjoyed a long career as an academic and in management at Wits University. She trained as an economic historian. She is an enthusiastic book person and has built her own somewhat eclectic book collection over 40 years. Her interests cover Africana, Johannesburg history, history, art history, travel, business and banking histories. She researches and writes on historical architecture and heritage matters. She is a member of the Board of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation and is a docent at the Wits Arts Museum. She is currently working on a couple of projects on Johannesburg architects and is researching South African architects, war cemeteries and memorials. Kathy is a member of the online book community the Library thing and recommends this cataloging website and worldwide network as a book lover's haven. She is also the Chairperson of HASA.
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