Kung Hei Fat Choy! Gong Xi Far Tsai!
From eNews 482 – Friday, 5 February 2010
The 2010 Chinese New Year Festival, which I will launch next Friday in Belmore Park, is the largest Lunar New Year celebrations outside Asia.
From its modest beginnings 14 years ago, the Festival has grown into a three-week long program of more than 60 events celebrating Chinese culture, customs, food, history, music and art.
This year's Festival features an extensive program of workshops and talks covering Chinese medicine and health, craft, calligraphy, Feng Shui, lion dancing, mask making and Taiko drumming. Events in our villages include tours of Chinese Temples and churches in Alexandria, Glebe, Redfern and Tempe and community celebrations in Ultimo and Alexandria.
Belmore Park will be the Festival's focus next weekend, with the Chinese New Year Markets operating until 10pm Friday to Sunday evenings. The markets will feature over 50 market stalls, live entertainment, kids' activities, a big screen karaoke competition, open air film screening, and more than will feature at this year's Chinese New Year Markets from 12-14 February at Belmore Park, Haymarket.
The City's Live Green House, decorated with a fragrant Asian herb wall garden, Chinese lanterns, and red and gold LED (low energy Light Emitting Diode) lights will show how to apply green ideas in the home. Experts, including Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese speakers will be available to talk about waste reduction, worm farming, composting, waterless woks and green architecture.
Other Festival highlights include the Twilight Chinese New Year Parade on Sunday 21 February, the Dragon Boat Races on Sunday 27 February and the Sydney Chinese Film Festival which is screening over 18 films.
The Parade begins at Sydney Town Hall and continues to Darling Harbour. A fireworks display at Cockle Bay will herald the end of the Parade, welcoming the Year of the Tiger.
This year, the Festival will host a contingent from Chongqing, the largest and most populated municipality of the People's Republic of China. The contingent includes over 350 people and five dragons will take part in the twilight parade, and performers who will present "change face" using highly decorated, changing opera masks during next Friday's launch celebration. The Belmore Park markets will also feature a display of crafts from the Chongqing region.
The Festival's Charity Partner is WWF-Australia, and independent conservation organisation which is dedicated to ensuring wild tigers will not still be facing extinction by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger.
Kung Hei Fat Choy! Gong Xi Far Tsai! or Happy Chinese New Year!
Information
Chinese New Year Festival: Friday 12 February to Sunday 28 February
Festival program: www.sydneychinesenewyear.com.au
Festival launch: 6.30-8pm Friday 12 February, Belmore Park, across Eddy Avenue from Central Station
Chinese New Year Markets: 4-10pm Friday 12 February; 11am-10pm Saturday/Sunday 13-14 February, Belmore Park
Chinese New Year Twilight Parade: 7.45-9.45pm Sunday 21 February, Town Hall to Chinatown, followed by fire works at Cockle Bay;
WWF-Australia Year of the Tiger: wwf.org.au/year-of-the-tiger.
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