<![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - Year nine Chinese]]> 10 <![CDATA[The Balanguera of the Chinese by Pere Garau]]> The Chinese New Year celebration took place last Sunday, December 22nd, in Pere Garau Square, the Palma neighborhood where 43% of the city's Chinese immigrants live, representing 10% of the non-EU population in the city. Among the many events of this grand celebration, which the Chinese have contributed to the city's popular culture, one moment stood out: two girls took to the stage and sang. The BalangueraThe song, "Els Moréos," has been the anthem of Mallorca since 1996. The musical version of the poem was composed by Amadeu Vives in 1926, the same year Joan Alcover died. Its performance during the Chinese New Year celebrations in Palma thus coincided with the centenary of the poem's creation. It is moving to imagine how Joan Alcover would have felt seeing his poem about the cultural tradition and vitality of the Mallorcan people transformed into a song of understanding, coexistence, and respect between native Mallorcans and newcomers who have literally arrived from the other side of the world. This isn't about 'integration,' as is often repeated, half out of intellectual laziness and half out of prejudice, when immigrants are discussed. It's not about integrating, but about dialogue, about showing affection and respect for the place where you live, whether you have lived here for fifteen generations, have just arrived, or are the child of those who came a few years ago. The first signs of this respect, this esteem, and this willingness to engage in dialogue obviously involve language and culture. And (it goes without saying) care for the environment, primarily the natural environment, but also the urban one. The Chinese community of Pere Garau and the Chinese Cultural Association of the Balearic Islands understood all of this well, filling the Chinese New Year celebration with Mallorcan references and elements: there were castellers (human tower builders), the dragon—one of the day's main protagonists—was named Pep, and so on.

]]> <![CDATA[Palma declares Pere Garau's Chinese New Year to be of municipal public interest.]]>

The Palma City Council has declared the celebration of the Chinese New Year in Pere Garau Park, to be of municipal public interest. The event will take place on February 22nd, starting at 11:00 AM. The program includes Chinese cuisine and the popular dragon dance, along with folk dancing and live music. Organized by the Chinese Association of the Balearic Islands (Achinib), the celebration will also feature traditional and cultural workshops, as well as children's activities.

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