In keeping with its storied heritage, The Peninsula London hosted a collection of splendid festivities in honour of the Lunar New Year – the most important holiday on the Chinese New Year. Not just in London but at all their properties around the globe celebrated the arrival of the Year of the Snake.
There were dragon and lion dance performances, opulent Cantonese feasts, traditional activities. Watching the Lion and Dragon Dance at The Peninsula Hotel brought back so many memories of my childhood in Malaysia. The noise, the festivities, the feasting.
The Lion Dance dates back to the folklores in China as early as the 3rd Century B.C. Several ‘versions’ and styles exist and here the dancers perform the Southern Lion Dance as recognised in their energetic and acrobatic style.
Patting the lion’s head and body is said to bring you luck – touching its mouth will mean you won’t go hungry this year.
No Lunar New Year preparation would be complete without the aforementioned hanging of red banners bearing auspicious phrases and idioms (called fai chun in Cantonese and chunlian in Mandarin) at home — beginning with one’s front door.
A family reunion dinner is held on Lunar New Year’s Eve. We dined at The Peninsula’s refined Cantonese restaurant Canton Red (temporarily renamed for the Chinese New Year).
The Canton Blue door has been changed to red for the season as it is a sacred colour in Chinese culture, symbolising good fortune, prosperity, happiness, and vitality.
The restaurant has an exclusive menu crafted to honour the season – featuring innovative interpretations of culturally significant dishes –
- Starters: Golden fish dumpling with pumpkin seafood sauce, barbecued pork, prawn dumpling, and crispy chicken with savoury shrimp paste.
- Main Courses: Steamed fish with ginger, shiitake mushrooms, and soy sauce; deep-fried lobster with salted egg sauce; stir-fried Wagyu beef with wild mushrooms, and homemade spinach noodles.
- Dessert: A chestnut cream and mandarin mousse, symbolising wealth and good fortune.
The Peninsula London is at 1 Grosvenor Pl, London SW1X 7HJ
