Lion dance and fish ball soup ring in New Year; Chinese festivities light up Tangra, Tiretta Bazaar
Telegraph | 20 February 2026
The city’s small Chinese community is ushering in the New Year with colour, music and culinary celebrations.
Their numbers may have dwindled to around 2,000, but they have embraced Calcutta, and the city has embraced them in return. For Calcutta, Chinese New Year is another food-filled, vibrant addition to its festival calendar.
In Tangra and Tiretta Bazaar, the iconic neighbourhoods historically home to Chinese-origin residents, streets pulsed with drumbeats, music and camaraderie. The New Year was on February 17, but celebrations continue for several days.
“The number of Chinese in Calcutta would be about 2,000 now, and they have moved to other areas beyond Tangra and Tiretta Bazaar,” said 72-year-old Chen Yao Hua, who runs a restaurant in Tiretta Bazaar. Many younger members of the community have migrated abroad to Singapore, the US and China to study and settle, he added.
The festivities are marked by prayer and the exchange of red envelopes, traditionally given to younger family members.
“At an auspicious time and in a particular direction, we have a spread of fruits, chocolates and goodies, and we welcome the god of wealth in every home. This year, the direction was south, and the time was from 1am to 1.45am on February 17,” said Tangra businesswoman Miranda Liu Wu.
Around the New Year, the city’s Chinese population swells as many return home. “The numbers go up to 4,000. Younger members come back to celebrate with parents and grandparents, and some visit the graves of their forefathers,” Miranda said.
A carnival at Pei May School in Tangra on Thursday evening became a reunion for many who hadn’t met for months.
The Chinese have called Calcutta home since 1780, when Warren Hastings granted land for a sugar plantation at Achipur near Budge Budge to Yong Atchew, the city’s first Chinese settler. Over the years, the community has influenced the city’s culinary landscape, giving rise to Calcutta’s very own Chinese cuisine.
“Noodles are almost a staple here. It shows how people have accepted us over the years,” said Miranda.
Calcutta provides space to everybody, said a fourth-generation community member.
The community’s influence extends beyond food. They were shoemakers, dentists, salon owners and more. David Chen, 64, still runs the shoe shop started by his grandfather in 1936. “Back in the ’80s, there were 60,000-70,000 Chinese in the city, but people gradually migrated,” he said.
Shirley Chain, 70, a Tangra hairdresser, said younger members have diversified into other professions.
For those who remain, the focus is on Calcutta’s warmth. “Everyone joins in during celebrations. Calcutta knows how to celebrate — Eid, Durga Puja, Christmas, or Chinese New Year. The lion dance and drumbeats excite everyone,” said third-generation Hakka Chinese, Katherine Lim.
Across most Chinese homes, the New Year is marked by traditional dishes: sesame cookies, fish ball soup, prawn