Native Chinese kids keep their homeland in their hearts
This weekend 11-year-old Éabha McFall will be among hundreds of children heading to Cork for a celebration featuring everything from a dragon parade to a colourful banquet.
The youngster and her adoptive mum Jacinta McFall, from Glasnevin in Dublin, will join some 320 parents and their adopted Chinese children from all over Ireland who are also attending the event.
The Chinese New Year Celebration, which has been specially organised by the Irish Chinese Contact Group for its members to mark the Chinese New Year 2015 - the Year of the Goat or the Sheep - falls today, Thursday February 19.
A wide range of activities, from teen’ workshops on Chinese culture, to teen mentoring, fun crafts and activities are on the programme, during which youngsters will have fun, meet old friends and absorb something of their native heritage.
Many families will also to attend events lined up for the two-week programme Chinese New Year festival in Dublin ( www.cny.ie) – this Sunday, for example, the popular Chinese New Year Carnival organised by Dublin City Council, will draw large crowds to Temple Bar to enjoy everything from Dragon and Lion Dances to Martial Arts and Tai Chi displays, cookery demonstrations and traditional music and dance.
Éabha, who was adopted at the age of 15 months is really looking forward to the event in Cork, says Jacinta, who is strongly enthusiastic about integrating her daughter’s native Chinese culture into everyday life.
“Éabha’s Chinese culture is hugely important to both of us – we always attend the Chinese New Year celebrations” . Jacinta ensures Éabha also attends weekly Chinese language classes with about 10 other Chinese children from the area.
Although Éabha enjoys Irish festivals like Hallowee’en and St Patrick’s Day – she’s made her First Holy Communion and is due to make her Confirmation in April - Chinese culture is interwoven through their family life.
The duo even went on a whistle-stop group tour of China two years ago. “We went to her home town, and we visited Beijing and Shang-hei and the Great Wall of China.
“I felt she needed to go. We went to see her baby home – they put on a lunch for us and she enjoyed it.”
In September the pair usually travel to Tipperary to celebrate The Moon Festival, centred on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, with a host of other families.
Encouraging adopted Chinese children to learn about their heritage is not about ‘pushing’ their culture at them says Mary Healy, Acting Chairperson of the Irish Chinese Contact Group. “For many, their native culture is Irish and they are fully Irish children,” she explains, but, she explains, knowing about their background and culture is an important part of their ability to develop their own sense of identity.
“ICCG creates opportunities for the families of the children to create a network through events, cultural activities and workshops etc. We organise networking groups so that the children get to meet children with a similar background,” says Mary.
Trish Connolly of the International Adoption Association agrees. “Your ethnic identity is part of your cultural identity and as parents we have a role to play in facilitating the integration into our families of the child’s birth culture,” she said.
Tracy and Noel Browne from Kimmage in Terenure will also be among those travelling to the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork with their adopted Chinese daughter Zoe (8) for the New Year celebrations.
Earlier in the week ,the family attended the Spring Festival Gala at the National Concert Hall, organised by the UCD Confucius Institute for Ireland.
“There is dance, music and performances and Zoe loves it,” says Tracy, adding that the family regularly celebrate Zoe’s culture by listening to Chinese music, visiting Chinese food-stores, eating with chopsticks at home on special occasions, or visiting a Chinese restaurant.
Zoe, who was adopted by the couple at the age of 12 months, also attends Chinese dancing and language lessons and will shortly set off on a long trip with her parents – the family are heading to China within a fortnight to adopt their second daughter, who will be two years old .
After the Chinese New Year celebrations in Cork the Brownes will return to the capital to take in some of the highlights of the Chinese New Year Carnival in Temple Bar on Sunday. “Zoe has a lot of Chinese books and has Chinese lanterns in her room. I think it’s important to her. She has a pride in her culture and asks about China. We too take pride in integrating the two cultures.”
“Heading off to China with us to meet her new sister – it’s her first visit to China. We’ll take in Beijing and then travel down south. It’ll be a great trip and I think she’s at the perfect age for it!”
