Yesterday, the Chinese new year was celebrated in the kasteeltuin in Helmond. The official Chinese New Year is on Friday, 31 January.
The celebration included a laser show, music and lots of fireworks. The big question was: why celebrate four days earlier? Was this the result of some misunderstanding? According to the Royal commissioner, Mr. Wim van de Donk, it was no mistake but especially planned this way "in order to enable our Chinese friends to have a private celebration on Friday. The Monday celebration was meant to emphasize our friendship and cooperation."
The New Year celebration is a result of the twenty-year-long sister city relationship between Brabant and the Chinese Jiangsu province. "The New Year celebration has become a tradition now", said the municipality spokesperson. "Each year, another town in Brabant is hosting the celebration and this is the first time for Helmond."
Hundreds of people came to the castle gardens to watch the fireworks show. Many Chinese people were present, including the Chinese Ambassador. According to the spokesperson, this emphasizes the importance of the strong economic and cultural ties between both countries.