Diplomats and companies from both nations celebrate Spring Festival in Dar es Salaam

The crowd of about 3,000 people sat still, listening impatiently to the guest speaker explaining why the Chinese celebrate the New Year late in January or February.

The speaker is Bernard Membe, Tanzania's minister for foreign affairs and international cooperation, who says Chinese Lunar Year, or Spring Festival, started some 4,000 years ago.

He says the festival originated during the Shang Dynasty (16th century to 11th century BC) and celebrates family reunions and the advent of spring with colorful activities.

"The festival," Membe says, "is celebrated by people from different regions and nations and different ethnic groups celebrate it in their unique way - ours is the Tanzanian way."

Indeed the festival was celebrated in the Tanzanian way at Mnazi Mmoja Grounds.

The event started at noon, by companies from China and Tanzania showcasing their merchandise, and ended before midnight with traditional cultural activities.

The unique feature of this year's Spring Festival's celebrations was that participants in the Chinese traditional dances were from Chinese companies operating in Tanzania.

The Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Lu Youning says it was the first time the performers were not imported from China.

"This is the sixth time that ceremonies have been held in Tanzania but it is the first time performers have been sourced locally. We used to get them from China," Lu says.

During the day a number of dances were held, including a dragon dance that is gaining popularity among locals. The armies of both countries also met.

When night fell, the entire ground was lit with the traditional colors of Chinese New Year - red and yellow.

The night gala opening dance was called "A Good Start". Individual performers were from Shanghai Construction Group and Harbin Hotel and Restaurant. It was followed by When I Miss my Home; the male solo performer was from China International Telecommunication Construction Corp.

The Spring Festival gala was called "Focus on Africa. China New Year in Tanzania 2015" and saw all the Chinese embassy staff from Dar es Salaam singing Paddle Together and Sail Forward.

The drama and music of the Chinese opera, Drunken Beauty, won the hearts of many who came out to usher in the New Year. Performers were from SCG, CITCC and the Kariakoo Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Martial artists from China and Tanzania demonstrated their skills. To add spice to the occasion, the organizers - the Chinese embassy in Dar es Salaam and Tanzania's Ministry of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports - conducted three lotteries where the grand prize was a motorcycle.

According to Chinese astrology, each year is associated with an animal sign, occurring in a 12-year cycle.

The sheep comes eighth in the Chinese zodiac. It is seen as a gentle and calm animal. The authorities used the occasion to exchange gentle and calm messages regarding Sino-Tanzania friendship, which has blossomed in the last 50 years.

Lu says the festival, whenever held in Tanzania, stands as the symbol of family friendship between the two nations.

"To demonstrate the friendship, this year we held these festivals in other regions as well, such as Arusha, Dodoma and Mwanza," Lu says, "our relations are at an all-time high level of cooperation ... as it touches at all areas of society."

Latest data shows that trade between China and Tanzania in 2013 reached $2.47 billion and that some 350,000 Tanzanians are directly or indirectly engaged in bilateral trade.

For China Daily