CDO Filipino Chinese community welcomes ‘Year of the Snake’

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 29 Jan) — Fireworks lit up the sky over Bell Church in Barangay Macasandig here on Tuesday night as the local Filipino Chinese Community shed off bad energy in welcoming the Chinese New Year, as the Year of the Snake is expected to usher in a spirit of renewal and regeneration.

A child looks at dancers with a dragon costume as the Filipino Chinese community in Cagayan de Oro City welcomes the Year of the Snake at the local Bell Church late evening Tuesday (28 January 2025). MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

As dragon dancers snaked through the temple, Greg Marten Lao, former president of the local Bell Church, clapped his hands with hope for new beginnings and a willingness to move on.

“In our tradition fireworks and noises drive away the bad vibes and toxicity,” Lao said.

Members of the church also burned incense sticks.

The Chinese New Year, which celebrates the beginning of the new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, ushered in week-long parties and feasts on all Filipino Chinese-owned stores and establishments in the city.

The celebration being held at the Bell Church here started in 1989 following the construction of the local church patterned after its counterpart in Baguio City. It offered a religious sanctuary for some 300 members of the local Filipino Chinese community.

Local trader John Asuncion, who heads the Cagayan de Oro Trade and Investments Promotions Center, said it was a good thing that the local Filipino Chinese community has allowed Cagayan de Oro to peek into the temple and their lives.

“The Local Filipino Chinese here are generally shy and it’s only lately they opened this temple to the public,” Asuncion said. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)

A workers prepares giant incense sticks at the Bell Church in Cagayan de Oro City as the local Filipino Chinese community welcomes the Chinese New Year. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO