Chinese New Year this year fell on 25 January. Melbourne is a multi-cultural hub in Australia and when it comes to Chinese New Year, it lives up to its reputation.
This year I decided to check out The Glen Shopping Centre’s offerings. At the shopping centre, whom should I see but another local guide @DaveBikkie .
There was a pair of red and yellow lions at this particular performance. The performance began in front of a local supermarket and made its way through the shopping centre stopping at several local retailers before ending in the outdoor dining precinct.
According to China Highlights, “In Chinese culture, the lion symbolizes power, wisdom, and superiority. People perform lion dances at Chinese festivals or big occasions to bring good fortune and chase away evil spirits. The lion dance is one of the most important traditions at Chinese New Year. It is performed to bring prosperity and good luck for the upcoming year.” And that’s why it is quite common for certain businesses to invite a lion dance to be performed at their place of business as we saw that day.
The article goes on to mention that “The lion dance is also a way to create a festive atmosphere and bring happiness.” One could not disagree with this as I saw parents clutching their young children’s hands with big excited smiles on their faces tagged along with the lions in procession this day.
It is very loud and noisy as the lion dance is performed with big drums and cymbals. The rhythm is fast paced and creates a feeling of anticipation and excitement.
At its final location two people were selected to participate in catching oranges that the lions ‘throw’ at them with their wide opened mouth.
Each lion is made up of two people. It is very tiring being the lion’s rear as you have to stoop down the whole time. I noticed that they swapped performers quite frequently as they made their way along their route. Smaller/younger performers were often in the rear until they arrived at an actual performance spot when they would swap to stronger performers. The person in the rear often have to balance and carry the person in front when the lion stands up high on its hind legs.
Chinese New Year celebrations is not complete without its special foods. One such food item is called a Yee Sang. This dish however is not “traditional” as in it’s not centuries old in practice. It is a fairly recent tradition which began in Malaysia (we think). This dish is essentially a salad with colourful local inexpensive ingredients (inexpensive for Malaysia/Singapore that is) that have been sliced/grated into thin strips. Peanuts and plum sauce form part of the ingredients while raw fish (yee sang) forms the centerpiece of this salad dish. The tossing is a special part of the celebration where every one participates at the dining table with their chopsticks. And of course, like many aspects of the Chinese New Year celebration, it is about health, wealth and prosperity.
You can read more about it here at the Malaysia Tatler.
The more creative chefs like to decorate their yee sang with the animal of the particular zodiac sign (see the first top left picture below).
The celebration usually commence with the Reunion Dinner which is usually held on the eve of the New Year. Some families travel from afar to be together for this special meal which will be nothing short of a sumptuous feast. Chinese New Year is celebrated for 15 days.
Ang Pows (red packets containing money) are given to young children and the unmarrieds anytime during the 15 days of the celebration. It is even given to the young visitors who come to your home. It is naturally a favourite time for children but also a time that can be quite costly for adults without children (!).
Empty ang pows can also be used for decorations - they can be hung up on trees and also formed into fans.
As 2020 is the year of the rat according to the Chinese zodiac, images and blow up balloons etc in the shape of cute mice/rats can be seen wherever people celebrate this festival.
Mandarins are also used in decorations because the mandarin pronunciation of the fruit sounds like the word for gold (kum).
Chinese New Year is a fun celebration filled with vibrant reds and yellow colours and loud sounds. It is usually made louder yet by exploding fire crackers. This was not possible however in the shopping centre I visited. And given that this celebration usually falls during Melbourne’s hottest period, it is too be undertaken with great care.
Incidentally The Glen Shopping Centre is just one place that celebrates Chinese New Year with lion dances. Over a period of several weeks, there are lion and dragon dances in various parts of Melbourne e.g. in the CBD (Central Business District), Glen Waverley, Richmond, Springvale to name a few that I’m aware of. Often these are accompanied by special exhibitions, cultural dances, food trucks and more.
Have you seen or experienced a Chinese New Year festival in your travels or city before? Do you celebrate it in your family? Please share your experiences with us.
More photos can be viewed here.
Video - Lion Dance at the Glen Shopping Centre 2020
Video - Lion Dance at the Outdoor Food Precinct of Glen Shopping Centre 2020
To read about and see more photos and videos of how other people from around the world celebrate this festival, check out the list at the bottom of the original challenge post #CNYInMyCity which will take you to these. You can share your photos there too and if you want to be included in the challenge, tag me to add your post about the event.
#CNYInMyCity
#Melbourne
. Thanks for sharing with us You’re this year’s Chinese New Year celebration experience 
Thank you for letting me know of your interest in lion dances also.
