Lion, dragon dance performed in Cambodia to celebrate Chinese New Year

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Folk artists performed lion and dragon dance in Cambodia on Friday to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival.

The dancers from six different troupes jointly staged at the Royal Palace and the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh.

Spring Festival is the most important festival in China, which marks the end of the winter and the start of spring.

The lion dance is usually invited by traditional Chinese families to perform as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Spring Festival and to ward off bad luck and evil spirits.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has sent best wishes to the Chinese people and Cambodians of Chinese descent, expressing his special thanks to them for their active contributions to the country's prosperity and development.

"On the occasion of the upcoming Chinese Traditional New Year, the Year of the Dragon, on behalf of the royal government of Cambodia, I would like to congratulate and join in the fun with all Chinese people and Cambodians of Chinese descent, who have always shared weal and woe with us since ancient times," he said in a recent message.

Although it is not a public holiday in the Southeast Asian nation, the Spring Festival is widely celebrated, as some schools, companies and institutions are closed on the occasion.

Thorn Sreyneth, a 32-year-old Cambodian reveler of Chinese New Year, said historically, Cambodians of Chinese descent have celebrated the New Year since ancient times.

"They believe that prayers to their ancestors will help them attract good fortune and happiness," she told Xinhua on Friday. "It's an occasion for a joyful family gathering, and usually, adults give gifts, especially red pockets, to children."