On the evening of February 24th (the 15th day of the Lunar New Year), the "2024 Shantou International Lantern Show" kicked off in the historical and cultural streets of the Small Park. Two thousand lanterns, blending exotic styles with local Chaoshan elements, illuminated the night of Lantern Festival. This dazzling visual and cultural feast fully showcased Shantou's folk culture, distinctive intangible cultural heritage, and the charm of overseas Chinese communities, attracting numerous residents, tourists as well as overseas Chinese leaders and representatives to admire the lanterns and celebrate the reunion.

The lighting ceremony on that evening wasparticipatedby overseas Chinese leaders and guests from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as local Chaoshan compatriots and representatives from all walks of life. As the two thousand lanterns in the streets of Small Park lit up one by one, the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Pavilion transformed into a magnificent giant palace lantern, unveiling the dreamlike scenes of Shantou's commercial and industrial history in front of the century-old arcade buildings.

The Lantern Festival is the first important traditional festival after the Chinese New Year. It is characterized by various traditional customs such as lantern displays, eating yuanxiao (sweet rice balls), and guessing lantern riddles. In the Chaoshan region, lanterns combine techniques of silk figuring, color painting, and carving, integrating unique cultural and artistic elements of Chaoshan's opera, embroidery, and clay figurines. Featuring intricate shapes, rich cultural connotations, and strong local characteristics, these lanterns are not only treasures in Guangdong's traditional folk art but also nostalgic memories of the Lantern Festival for Chaoshan people both at home and abroad.

The international lantern show incorporates numerous "dragon" elements along with Chaoshan and overseas Chinese cultures. When viewed from above, the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Pavilion appears as a "dragon pearl" adorned with auspicious clouds, symbolizing good fortune and fulfillment.

The overseas Chinese element is a highlight and feature of the lantern show. Themed lantern sculptures depicting iconic landmark buildings and specialty products from major countries where overseas Chaoshan people are concentrated, such as Thailand's Grand Palace, Singapore's Merlion, Cambodia's Angkor Wat, Malaysia's Petronas Towers, and the United Arab Emirates' Burj Khalifa Tower, create a streetwithdistinctive exotic flavor, fostering a sense of unity among Chaoshan people around the world while enhancing the festive atmosphere for the 2024 Teochew International Convention and the World Chaoshan Entrepreneurs Convention.

The event site featured a lantern fair, intangible cultural heritage experiences, lantern riddles, and folk parades brimming with Chaoshan flavors. Through these interactive experiences, visitorscouldimmerse themselves in the profound historical heritage and unique folk culture of this century-old commercial port. On that evening, with the resounding rhythm of drums and gongs, the Yingge Dance teams, dragon dance teams, and palace lantern teams took turnsto amazethe crowd with their exuberant vigor. The parade started from the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Pavilion and headed towards Zhenbang Food Street. Wherever they went, streets were packed with onlookers, who eagerly lifted their cameras to capture those brilliant moments.

Source:Yangcheng Evening News

汕头龙年小公园元宵灯会“侨味”十足

2月24日（农历正月十五）晚，“2024汕头小公园国际元宵灯会”在小公园历史文化街区启动，两千盏兼具异国风情与潮汕元素的潮汕花灯点亮元宵夜，以一场璀璨夺目的视觉与文化盛宴，全方位展示汕头民俗文化、特色非遗、侨乡风采，吸引众多侨领代表和市民游客前往观景赏灯、共赴团圆。

当晚的亮灯仪式邀请新加坡、马来西亚、泰国、柬埔寨、阿联酋五国侨领、海外嘉宾、潮籍乡亲及各界市民代表参加。随着小公园街区的2000盏花灯依次亮起，中山纪念亭更是化身一盏巨大的走马宫灯，展示汕头商埠文化和产业历史的梦幻光影在百年骑楼前徐徐展开。

元宵是我国春节后的第一个重要传统节日，有着闹花灯、吃元宵、猜灯谜等传统习俗。在潮汕地区，花灯集彩扎、彩绘、剪刻于一身，融合潮剧、潮绣、泥塑等潮汕独特文化艺术元素，造型精巧多样，文化内涵丰富，乡土特色浓郁，是广东省传统民间艺术宝库的一大瑰宝，也承载着海内外潮人对元宵佳节的浓浓乡愁回忆。

此次国际元宵灯会融入大量“龙”元素及潮汕文化、华侨文化。从高处俯瞰，中山纪念亭则“化身”为一颗绘满祥云图案的“龙珠”，寓意吉祥圆满。

“侨”元素是本次灯会的一大亮点和特色。泰国“大皇宫”、新加坡“鱼尾狮”、柬埔寨“吴哥窟”、马来西亚“双子塔”、阿联酋“哈利法塔”等根据潮汕华侨主要聚居地国家标志性建筑和特色物产设计的主题特色灯塑，打造特色异国风情街，营造海内外潮人“五洲连心”，合力共襄2024国际潮团、潮商“两大盛会”的喜庆气氛。

活动现场，灯会集市、非遗体验、元宵灯谜和“潮”味十足的民俗巡游活动则让广大市民游客在交互式的游园体验中，沉浸式感受百载商埠浓厚的历史底蕴和独特的民俗文化。当晚，伴随着铿锵锣鼓节奏，英歌舞队、双龙舞队、宫灯队等依次惊艳登场，瞬间燃爆全场气氛。巡游队伍从中山纪念亭出发巡游至镇邦美食街，一路人围观的市民游客人山人海，纷纷举起相机记录下精彩一瞬。

文｜记者 赵映光 实习生 林彤
图｜记者 蔡嘉鸿（除署名外）
翻译|洪婷