The Chinese New Year will be ushered in Bacolod City with more than just the usual pyrotechnics that highlight an occasion. In the Feb. 7-10 Chinese New Year celebration, now popularly called BacoLaodiat, which combines the name of the city and laodiat, the Fookien word for “happy celebration, a symphony of  lights and sparks and a parade of lanterns inspired by the Chinese Spring festival rituals  will be among the activities that will usher in the festive occasion.

“This will be a grander BacoLaodiat filled with big surprises  as we have expanded the celebration to four days,” said businessman William Ong, chairman of this year's celebration. The Symphony of  Sparks and Lights, Ong said, will be staged in 10 sites in the city where the fireworks will be simultaneously held. Pyrotechnics in Chinese tradition, ward off the bad spirits while the lantern parade, part of an ancient practice,  has been intended as a supplication for favorable weather and guidance for the year and eventually as a symbol for respect of God. The lanterns will be displayed at the Capitol Park .

The festival has been formally organized with the establishment of BacoLaodiat, Inc., which Ong said, ensures its continuity in the future.

The lantern parade, organizers said, features the 12 Chinese zodiac animal symbols depicted in giant lanterns which will reflect the aspirations of  Tsinoy groups all over the province of reaching out to each other. Participating in the celebration are 34 Negros Tsinoy organizations. The Tsinoy groups, along with the Bacolod City and the Negros Occidental Provincial Governments are extending all-out support to the festival.

The sparks-and-light extravaganza, Ong said, features the synchronized lighting up of animal installations after which he and Mayor Evelio Leonardia, will declare the opening of the Chinese New Year Festival.

The activities this year, focused on the theme, “Strength in Unity”,   have been transferred from the Bacolod Plazato a more fitting place, the Bacolod Shoppin Center , dubbed as the ‘Chinatown' of Bacolod , now an  icon of Chinese-Filipino partnership.

The lantern parade and the grand fireworks display will be preceded by a city-wide dragon and lion dance festival performed by volunteers of Amity and Chamber Fire Brigades and the opening of the Chopsticks Alley at 6th Street, which features colorful lanterns, kiosks and rolling carts offering popular Chinese-Filipino cuisine, souvenirs and other art and craft items.

Bacolaodiat also features a tour of the three major temples in Bacolod City – the Yuan Tzong at Burgos Extension, the Yong Tho Taoist Temple at La Salle Avenue and the Fa Zhang Temple at Narra Extension.

Also  lined up in the festival calendar are the art show, the Chinese cultural presentation at SM City on Friday at 4 p.m., the Tsinoy Olympics of native and ethnic games – like kadang, yoyo playing, chopsticks relay, Chinese checkers and other games for children and adults – the Chow King-sponsored night and the Kinengkoy comedy spoof and musical show depicting Chinese trivia and traditions which will be capped by a band show.

On Saturday, a Chinese cooking competition will be held at Robinsons Place at 2 p.m. which will be followed by the lantern and street dancing competition among towns and cities and nearby provinces focusing on the integration into the mainstream of ethnic Chinese and the merging of the Fil-Sino cultures.

The last day will highlight the mall performances of Chinese street dance winners, the awarding ceremony and a grand celebrity night and fireworks.

We are inviting not only Chinese members of the community, Ong said, but also our Filipino brothers and sisters to spare some time from their important tasks and join us in these four days of celebration  of unity.

Ong added they are hopeful that with the BacoLaodiat, the city can offer more attractions to its visitors on a year-round basis with the Chinese Festival serving as the first major celebration in the city – followed by the summer Panaad and the October MassKara.

Expressing optimism, the festival executive said the Chinese community looks forward to make the BacoLaodiat a bigger festival in the future, “hopefully to the level of MassKara Festival”.

Behind the BacoLaodiat

The BacoLaodiat, Inc., tasked with organizing the annual BacoLaodiat festival, is composed of Filipino-Chinese volunteers representing a cross-section of the community.

It is led by William Ong, founding Chairman and head of  BacoLaodiat 2008 and the chairman of Negros Tsinoy. A businessman - importer who ventured for 35 years in Metro Manila, he is back to the city where his 888 China Town Square Mall will be opened soon. It's time to give back to the community that nurtured you, he said when asked why he returned to invest in the city after a long absence.

The festival vice chairman in Crispin Chua, is a long-time volunteer of Amity Fire Brigade. He is currently a member of the CT Development Council and the Bacolod Development Council and the Negros Chairman of the PEP Coalition.

The festival treasurer is Lily Go, an educator who currently heads the Information Management Department of the University of St. La Salle. She worked as a program finance analyst of Irvine Sensors in the Untied States and serves as president of Kaisa – Negros Chapter.

Also in the festival committee this year are Leonito ‘Diotay Lopue, Teresa Gochangco, Charlie Co and Mary Tian.

Lopue  belongs to the family that pioneered retail business business in Negros Occidental long before the malls came. He is active with the Kaisa socio-civic projects.

Gochangco  a well-travelled businesswoman who became the charter president of Buddha's Light International Association, is past president of the Kanlaon Lioness Club and a member of the Kaisa[-Negros Advisory Council .

Co is a multi-awarded visual artist who has contributed to the development of the art industry in the Visayas. He now runs Gallery Orange where local artists display their works.

Tian, an educator with a Ph.D. in Educational Management degree, chairs the USLS Chinese Studies Program. She migrated to Philip-pines 13 years ago and now considers Bacolod as her home.        Assisting the committee is the Events Management Team led by businesswoman and entrepreneur Marivic Po-Rio. She is assisted by Benjie Torre, Khrisna Avila, Rutha Rojo and Panoy Cabalcar.