Countries around the world are gearing up to celebrate the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, this week. It is a huge event for billions of people filled with celebrations and long-held cultural traditions. Across Australia, cities are preparing to roll out a host of events to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit.
Lunar New Year (1st day of the 1st Lunar Month)
The Lunar New Year is the most significant of all Chinese festivals. Better known to overseas Chinese as the ‘Chinese New Year’, this festival is celebrated in many parts of the world and almost in all places where there are Chinese diasporic settlements. Lunar New Year begins with the new moon, which marks the first day of the first lunar month and ends on the 15th day. With the festival falling on the first day of the Lunar Calendar, it also marks the start of the Spring season. As such in China, the Lunar New Year is also referred to as the “Spring Festival”.
Chinese communities and families in China and overseas prepare themselves for a series of celebratory events. As this is an important celebration for most Chinese the first three days are normally declared public holidays in places where there are large populations of Chinese settlers. Internationally, the festival will be celebrated by the local Chinese in the area often described as ‘Chinatown’.
The mythology behind traditional Lunar New Year practices
A Symbol of New Beginning
While the Western world sets New Year resolutions and goals to work towards, and to achieve, in the year ahead, when the Chinese New Year closes in, Chinese all around the world prepare to usher in the New Year weeks before the day actually arrives. A Chinese family would undertake a big clean-up in their homes in preparation for the New Year – this is often referred to as ‘spring cleaning’. To this effect, the Chinese have a saying common to many cultures: ‘It’s time, out with the old and in with the new’. This is to imply that all bad things are cleaned out allowing the New Year to bring new health, wealth and luck into the home.
The Reunion Feast
Prior to Chinese New Year's Day, family members that are located all over will start making their trips back home before or on the Eve of the New Year. All members of the family will come together on this occasion to celebrate the year that is about to come to an end, and also to receive the incoming New Year together. Family members will gather over the dinner table for a big feast. This is a sign of togetherness or unity of the family referred to by the Chinese as ‘Tuan Yuan’ (meaning reunion; in Chinese ‘yuan’ refers to roundness that signifies togetherness), one of the most important values in Chinese culture.
The meaning behind the colour Red, “Nian”, Lion and Dragon Dances
Chinese refer to celebrating the Lunar New Year as ‘Guo Nian’ which means ‘passing the year’ in the Chinese language. Although told in a number of different ways, there is to a large extent, consensus on the explanation behind the Chinese referring to the New Year as ‘Nian’ and the prominence of the colour red to this important Chinese festival.
The symbolic role of noise, illumination or light, and the colour red—all of which were told in the myths as being instrumental to fending off Nian the monster—continue to take identical or adapted forms of the firecrackers in today’s Lunar New Year celebrations.
In terms of ‘red’, this occurs through festive goods such as red money packets and red ornaments such as paper scrolls.
Another feature of the Lunar New Year is Lion and Dragon Dances. It is believed that the lion dance is a symbolic ritual that can evict any bad spirits in the home.
Lunar New Year Celebration in Melbourne
This year, Lunar New Year falls on the 22nd Jan (The gregorian calendar). Melbourne, being the melting pot of cultures, offers various events from now until the middle of February. These are some free events happening in the inner city.
Crown
20th – 26th Jan 2023: 12pm – 12am
Crown’s Lunar New Year displays will include the immersive Zodiac Spectacular display representing the 12 Chinese zodiac signs.
The traditional Lion and Drum Atrium Show will take place at 7pm and 9pm daily.
QV Melbourne
20th – 26th Jan 2023: 10am – 10pm
There is an interactive installation of eight 4.5-metre-tall Dancing Bunnies in QV Square, energetic lion dancers meandering from the square to Old Beijing on Artemis Lane, as well as a host of dining and entertainment experiences.
Chinese Museum
21st Jan 2023: 10am – 11pm
Lion & Dragon dance during the day; DJ sets and food truck in the evening. The full timetable is here - https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/whats-on/lunar-new-year-celebration
Fed Square
22nd Jan 2023: 9.30am – 1.30am
Dragon dance, Tai Chi/Chinese Dance classes and brush painting workshop.
National Gallery of Victoria
22nd Jan 2023: 10am – 5pm
Enjoy a day of art, food, art-making activities, music and lion dance performances for all ages, especially for Lunar New Year. Don’t forget to collect complimentary red envelopes to gift to family and friends.
Queen Victoria Market
22nd Jan 2023: 10am – 2pm
Watch on as a traditional lion dance makes its way through Queen Vic Market to celebrate Lunar New Year.
Victoria Harbour
19th Feb 2023: 9am – 4pm
Join in the Dragon Boat Racing Festival on Harbour Esplanade and watch 200-metre dragon boat racing. Other highlights include the dragon boat tug-of-war, dragon and lion dancing, food trucks and more.
In addition, venues in the city especially Chinatown will be pulling out all the stops to celebrate Lunar New Year. Watch on as a traditional lion dance makes its way from one restaurant to the next on the 22nd Jan. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you who celebrate the Lunar New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai, wishing you all the best in the year of the Rabbit!
