January 29, 2017 – Markham – The Year of the Rooster is finally here! Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham (FCCM), City of Markham, and Presenting Sponsor, TD Bank upheld its spectacular annual tradition of celebrating the Lunar New Year to honor the arrival of the Year of the Rooster at the Markham Civic Centre. The festivities incorporated a number of dazzling performances and lively displays for all ages to partake and enjoy.

Dr. Ken Ng, the Chairman of the Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham began by thanking all the guests and visitors for attending the Chinese New Year event. He continued by introducing and expressing his thanks to the sponsors such as TD Canada Trust, Canada Post, and the Remington Group. In addition, he presented community partner City of Markham. Mayor Frank Scarpitti and Members of Council for the City of Markham congratulated FCCM for their contribution the community through the Markham FCCM Chinese New Year Festival.

The live performances at the event featured time honoured traditions such as the lion dance, Chinese dance, and a visit from the God of Fortune.  More contemporary performances were also showcased like the Zumba routine by the Zumba Petals. Other musical presentations included guzheng and erhu solo performances as well as singing. There was also a special appearance by philosopher and geomancer,  Paul Ng, during which he shared his predictions for the Year of the Rooster.

Guests could also visit the event hall and purchase stamps signed by the calligrapher, Albert Ng from Canada Post’s 2017 Lunar Year of the Rooster Collection. The stamps were unveiled by Danny Kotsopoulos and Dr. Ken Ng during the event’s opening ceremony. Other items on display at the event also include a gorgeous ice sculpture and there was also a lucky draw for various prizes including plane tickets generously provided by China Southern Airlines.

Among the crowd that day were Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Markham City Council, and Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham (FCCM) Chairman Dr. Ken Ng. Other dignitaries who attended the event included: Hon. John McCallum, Canadian Ambassador to China; Hon. Reza Moridi, MPP, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science; Bing Xue, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China; Danny Kotsopoulos, Canada Post regional business manager; Mario G. Racco, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, Patrick Brown; Deputy Mayor, Jack Heath; the Chairman of the Chinese Business Council of Vaughan (CBCV); Vaughan Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco; Jocelyn Rui from China Southern Airlines; Regional Councillors Nirmala Armstrong and Joe Li; Councillors Logan Kanapathy, Amanda Colluci, Alan Ho, Godwin Chan, Alex Chiu, Valerie Burke, Don Hamilton

In addition to the Chinese New Year events was the Special Appreciation Reception for Hon. John McCallum, M.P., to celebrate his time as the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship and to congratulate him as he moves on to his next adventure as the new Canadian Ambassador to China.

Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally last 15 days so for those who missed the Markham celebrations, the next event will be in Newmarket on Sunday February 5th. Admission is free and everyone is welcome so mark your calendars and see you there!