Tens of thousands throng Setia Spice Arena for Penang CNY open house

GEORGE TOWN: Tens of thousands of well-wishers thronged the Setia Spice Arena to attend Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's Chinese New Year open house celebration.
Guests including politicians and state leaders turned up at the event to usher in the Year of the Dog.
The open house held from 10am until 12pm was also attended by Penang Governor Tun Dr Abdul Rahman Abbas and his wife Toh Puan Majmoor Shariff.
Abdul Rahman and Majmoor who arrived at 10.30am, were greeted by Lim and the state leadership, followed by a lion dance performance.
Also present were Penang Deputy Chief Minister 1 Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon and Penang Deputy Chief Minister 2 Professor P. Ramasamy and state exco members.
Abdul Rahman also joined the state leadership in tossing the yee sang, a traditional lunar new year ritual which is believed to usher in good luck for the new year.
Guests, including tourists, were treated to a sumptuous spread of local fare like char kuey teow, satay, spiced rice, and fruits.
They were also entertained by a host of performances, such as the high stilt performance lion dance by world champion Hong De, dance shows by Euphoria and the state cultural council.
The guests were also serenaded by Penang born singer Lee Pei Ling and were entertained by a magic performance by Avery Chin.
At the end of the event, Lim distributed Ang Pow packets to the children present.
The event ended with a busker performance by a Venezuelan group.