Chinese New Year celebration at Chew Jetty cancelled for second year

GEORGE TOWN, Jan 5 -- The annual Chinese New Year celebration event at Chew Jetty has been cancelled for the second consecutive year in light of the spread of COVID-19, especially the omicron variant in the country.

Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Daniel Gooi said the decision was made by the Chew Jetty Residents’ Association.

He said the celebration which enters its 114th year had to be called off for fear that there would be non-compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOP) as thousands of people would come for the event.

“It is also to ensure the safety of the 74 families living here as well as the public,” he told a press conference, here, today.

Apart from Chew Jetty, there were five other jetties involving floating villages comprising families of Lim, Tan, Lee, Yeoh and another mixed lineage called ‘Mixed Clan Jetty’, with all these now being tourist locations in Penang.

Held on the eighth day of the Chinese lunar calendar, the event will normally be attended by thousands of Hokkien devotees from across the country.

In addition to the prayer services, the celebration will also be enlivened with cultural performances throughout the night and fireworks.

Meanwhile, Daniel announced that the restoration works of the Chao Yuan Gong or Chew Jetty Temple which started two years ago, have been completed.

“The restoration works were conducted at a cost of RM2.5 million, including RM250,000 from the state government,” he said.

-- BERNAMA