GONG XI FA CAI! Regarded as one of the most anticipated events in the city the Chinese New Year celebrations saw many of Davao City’s hotels and restaurants dressed in various shades of red. To usher in a lucky and prosperous Year of the Fire Rooster, the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao held their own celebration with authentic Chinese offerings and traditional festivities on January 28.
The event started with the dotting of the lion’s eye which is supposed to “awaken” the spirit of the Lion. The ceremonial dotting was performed by Hotel Manager, Bryan Lasala. “Every year, we see more and more guests come to the Waterfront Insular Davao to celebrate and experience Chinese New Year with us,” said Bryan,
Immediately after dotting of the lion’s eye, a lion and dragon dance performed by the Davao Lion Dancers Association followed with the energetic dancers filling up the Waterfront Hotel’s lobby and corridors with loud drumbeats and the frantic and energetic dance of the lions searching for Chinese lettuce and “ang pao” which were hung all around the property.
After the lion and dragon dance the the Yee Sang, Yu Sheng, Lo Hei, or the Prosperity toss opened the sumptuous Chinese buffet at Cafe Uno. Prepared by Waterfront Insular Davao’s executive chef Victor Barangan, the salad dish has become popular in Chinese New Year celebrations of Chinese communities in Southeast Asian regions symbolic of good luck, prosperity and health. It consists of strips of salmon mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments. Tradition dictates that these ingredients must be tossed high up in the air, thus the term Lo Hei, which means “toss high”. It is believed that the higher the toss, the more prosperous and luckier you’ll get throughout the year.
Bryan also shared the near future of the Waterfront Insular Davao “The coming years will be even more exciting for Waterfront as we expect many more new developments around the hotel which will be announced in the coming months.”
After the lunch buffet, lucky diners started the Chinese new Year on a high as they received special fortune cookies with fortune forecasts inside! Some even more lucky dinners went home with freebies like Waterfront souvenir items and free passes for two at the Pool Aquarius.
