Mercy Health Seniors Celebrate Chinese New Year in Style

They may hail from India, Indonesia or even Ireland, but that won’t stop seniors living at Mercy Health’s Edgewater Mercy Villas celebrating Chinese New Year in style. 

The longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar, Chinese New Year – also known as Spring Festival – will start on 8 February, and residents at the popular Independent Living Units will use the opportunity to also celebrate their diverse cultural heritage.

Seniors will kick off the year of the monkey, with a special luncheon on 8 February, with both residents and staff attending in traditional Chinese dress, while also bearing dishes from the most populated country on earth.

Mercy Health WA State Manager, Ms Anita Ghose, said Chinese New Year gave residents and staff an opportunity to celebrate Mercy Health’s cultural diversity, as well as enjoy a banquet of Chinese food.

“Our seniors at Edgewater’s Mercy Villas, along with many of our staff, are really looking forward to celebrating Chinese New Year 2016; it’s a fun and important way for everyone involved to experience aspects of Chinese culture in an inclusive way," Ms Ghose said.

“Mercy Health’s villas are almost like a small United Nations as we have people from a range of countries, all of whom enjoy being part of our wider Mercy Health community and have incredible respect for each other’s cultures.”

As part of the celebrations, residents will also have the opportunity to learn more about the traditional Chinese horoscope, in particular the opportunities for love, luck and money in 2016.