The first year after COVID-19 lockdowns, and Lunar New Year celebrations was back in full swing!
The Spring Festival is one of the most important festivals in traditional Chinese culture. It unites praying for good fortune to eliminate disasters, worshipping deities, enjoying joyous celebrations, as well as humanities and culture into a single grand festival.
On Lunar New Year eve, the Academy hosted its first Sounding of the Bell event to ring in the Year of the Rabbit at the site of our proposed Tasmanian Chinese Cultural Park of Australia, at Campania, to bid farewell to the Year of the Tiger. Every year, the cusp between New Year’s Eve and the new year is the most auspicious and most sacred of time-wheels. The ritual of sounding the bell at this time-wheel to pray for good fortune has been part of Buddhist traditions since ancient times. The event was well-attended by state MPs, local council representatives, community leaders as well as friends from all walks of life.
The following day - the first day of the Year of the Rabbit, the Academy joined many Chinese community members and friends at the Lunar New Year Festival hosted by the Chinese Community Association of Tasmania at the Parliament Lawns. The all-day event featured Chinese arts and crafts, entertainment, as well as food, and was enjoyed by over 10,000 people. The Academy was honoured to perform the lion dance at the official opening of the festival.
During the two-week duration of the Lunar New Year period, the Academy was invited to perform the lion dances at a number of events and occasions, marking and joining into many Lunar New Year celebrations of various forms. This included the Lady Gowrie Childcare Centre, TasNetworks, Collinsvale Market and Royal Hobart Regatta.
The Academy was also particularly honoured to have been invited by the Launceston Chinese Association to perform at their Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday 28 January, at the Queen Victoria Museum in the heart of Launceston.
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