Another new year is upon us. I feel like the year of the horse had only just come and gone but alas, it has been 12 years. Time goes crazy fast. Actually, I still remember watching this clip https://youtube.com/watch?v=QKiw3MnCxPs&pp=ygUaeWVhciBvZiBob3JzZSBsaW9uIGRhbmNpbmc%3D from 12 years ago thinking not my jam but that’s fresh.

This year, it just dawned on me why I love Chinese New Year. It’s because it isn’t just one day. It’s a whole season of it! There’s a build up before it happens. People are starting to decorate their houses, the shops are starting to put decorations up and sell Chinese New Year paraphernalia. Lots of the local councils are getting involved and organising their own lunar new year celebrations (on different dates from each other). Lots of shopping centres and restaurants and clubs and markets are hiring lion dancing groups to perform for them. And so, Chinese New Year feels like it stretches forever! There’s no blink and you miss it. It’s blink and then get onto the social media pages of said location or lion dancing team and you’ll be able find out where all the lion dancing action is coming up. And I must say, it’s everywhere in Sydney and even in surrounding cities. I see teams heading out to the Blue Mountains and some going down to Shellharbour. And the performances have started from 7th February through until at least the 1st of March. How exciting. A whole months worth of being festive.

I’ve been lucky enough to catch some of the other teams perform this year. Starting off with Chinese New Years Eve. I think without fail I’ve made it to Kwan Yin Temple for the evening – midnight celebrations there and this year was no exception. Yun Yee Tong put up a spirited show with Kung fu demonstrations and a few lion dancing routines. They had a cool routine which involved two female lead lion dancers collecting a pair of bánh tét and returning it to a steamer basket. I really enjoyed the use of different percussion instruments (second drum, giant cymbals, smaller cymbals, xylophone) to come up with new beats to match the lions movements. It was very clever. Actually, on that note, since last moon festival and Australia’s 1st National Lion Dance Competition last year, I’ve been seeing a few of the local teams experimenting with different beats. And I’m not talking about mixing hok san beats with Vietnamese beats with the HK beats with the Lor Leung beats. I mean, almost Taiko drumming beats where you wouldn’t recognise it as lion dancing. They don’t do it for the whole performance but for certain pre choreographed sections. I think it’s cool. Works well for stage performances where they can prepare all the equipment beforehand.

I digress, Kwan Yin temple still arranges one of the best fireworks display in Sydney. What makes its amazing is that it stretches for around 15 minutes. It’s literally above our heads, it’s set against a beautiful temple backdrop and it’s like a story. Slow, single shots culminating in the whole night sky just filled with fireworks and noise.

I saw THQ dancing in Cabramatta on Chinese New Year’s Day. I went home to 拜年 and do a temple visit. I was going to go to Ming Yue Lay Temple at Bonnyrigg to see Qing Fong perform but I thought I’d pass by Cabramatta just in case. And just my luck, THQ was out doing a few performances with firecrackers. Nothing beats a performance that finishes with a couple of strings of firecrackers. The smell, the noise. Ahhhh. It was also my luck that I got parking on John Street! It’s like the only time Cabramatta is a bit quiet. I’d say about 70% of the shops were closed for new years.

It was also my luck that the Ma Zu Temple that I visited with my mum also happened to have Yun Yee Tong visit at the same time. So bonus lion dancing and bonus firecrackers! And this is only day 1 of new years.

It’s day 2 of new years and I’m salivating with what’s to come. I feel like I’m planning a holiday. I’m looking at all the team’s lion dancing schedules and the various council schedules and marking on my calendar what events I can attend and who I’ll see. If you’re unsure, check out the socials for Dragon Style Kung Fu, THQ lion dance, Sydney Yun Yee Tong, Qing Fong LDT, Jing Yee, The Lion Dance Academy, Jin Wu Koon, Yau Kung Mun (aka lion dance kids), Pak Hok, CYL, Sydney Choy Lee Fut. Or check out the celebrations at Fairfield’s Hoi Cho Tet, Cabramatta’s Lunar New Year, Eastwood, Hurstville, Burwood, Rhodes.