Havana, January 22 (RHC)-- The Chinese community in Cuba will mark the New Lunar Year, from Friday January 22nd through February 7th, with an array of cultural activities.

The event, also known as Spring Festival, is being sponsored by the Confucius Institute at the Havana University, the Chung Wah Casino Federation and the Center of Chinese Arts and Traditions; the latter two based in Havana's Chinatown.

Teresa Maria Lee, who leads the Center of Chinese Arts and Traditions, told reporters that the event is considered one of the most important ones in China and it is marked by Chinese communities in many countries.

The festival includes a photo exhibit sponsored by the Chinese embassy in Havana; martial arts exhibitions, as well as colorful parades of symbolic Chinese characters such as lions and dragons.

Havana´s Chinatown, close to the old section of the city, boasts of a series of services like restaurants and centers that help keep Chinese cultural traditions alive for the descendants of the immigrants from that nation and also for the enjoyment of all the people.