THE Chinese New Year celebration is just around the corner and the festive mood is evident in Air Itam.
Air Itam assemblyman Joseph Ng said more Chinese lanterns were being installed this year to cheer the people up and bring positivity.
“This year, we installed 800 Chinese lanterns in Air Itam compared to 520 last year. The Chinese lantern lighting ceremony has become an annual event in Air Itam and we do it at the Air Itam Market vicinity because the market is the ‘core’ of Air Itam. This location is also near the iconic Kek Lok Si Temple,” he told reporters today.
Ng said he has been using his allocation to instal and light up the Chinese lanterns in Air Itam since 2021.
“This year, we are fortunate to have supporters such as Sunshine Group, The Habitat Penang Hill, Penang Hill Corporation, O2 Klinik, and others,” he said.
Also present at the lantern lighting ceremony were Air Putih assemblyman Lim Guan Eng and Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh.
Besides lighting the Chinese lanterns, they also launched the 2023 Chinese New Year replica which was installed at the Air Itam roundabout.
Earlier, Ng attended the prize-giving ceremony for the colouring and calligraphy writing competition at the car park area of DeView Hotel Penang in conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix by Law Suun Ting