Antwerp revelries bring communities together

Antwerp, the most populous city in Belgium, was immersed in Chinese Lunar New Year festivities on Saturday, Feb 2.

About 2,000 performers from across Belgium staged a grand parade that included 22 groups of lion dancers, waist drum players, qigong and tai chi practitioners, fashion teams wearing qipao and other traditional Chinese costumes, and people dressed as pandas and golden pig figures.

Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Cao Zhongming and Antwerp Mayor Bart de Wever "dotted", or painted on, the lion's eyes in a Chinese tradition that kicks off the parade marking the Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb 5 this year.