Chinese celebration at The Costello School (From Andover Advertiser)
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Year of the Snake celebrated The Costello School, Crossborough Hill
12:00pm Saturday 9th March 2013 in Basingstoke By Helen Morton
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From left: Feiyang Liu and Shixia Yuan enjoy lunch at the 2013 Chinese New Year celebrations at The Costello School
LION dancing, acrobatics and music all played a part during a massive Chinese celebration.
Hundreds of people filled The Costello School hall, in Basingstoke, as it played host to the party, held to belatedly mark the Chinese New Year and the start of the Year of the Snake, which officially began on February 10.
The Basingstoke Chinese Association took over the school hall, in Crossborough Hill, last Sunday. More than 200 guests, including Basingstoke and Deane Mayor Councillor Martin Biermann and Mayoress Chansopha Biermann, enjoyed an afternoon of delicious Chinese food and a host of entertainment including dazzling acrobatics and traditional dance.
Guests came from as far afield as London, Reading, Southampton and Portsmouth to attend the annual event.
There was also a prize draw and raffle to help raise funds for the Basingstoke Chinese School, in Cranbourne.
Around 100 prizes were donated by various individuals and organisations for the raffle.
Jimmy Wan, chairman of the Basingstoke Chinese Association, said the event was a great opportunity to get the Chinese community together.
He said: “We always like to celebrate the Chinese New Year, to have a bit of fun and to celebrate the Chinese culture.
“People travel a long way to get here and it’s somewhere people can catch up with old friends and make new friends.”
