Chinese New Year Dunedin

Chinese New Year 2006
Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. It is a festival quiet with the hope of good fortune, yet booming with the spectacle of exploding firecrackers and dancing dragons. And it’s all set to go in the Octagon on Saturday 28 January!

While January 1st is easy to remember, the specific date of Chinese New Year changes each year, as it falls on the first day of the lunar calendar. The calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-year cycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.
Chinese New Year is marked by animals. According to Chinese legend, Buddha invited all the creatures in his kingdom to appear before him. The 12 animals who completed the journey - the rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, serpent, horse, sheep, monkey, cock, dog and pig - were each honoured for their presence with rotating names of the year: 2006 is the Year of the Dog. At midnight the year of the Dog will come alive – people who share characteristics of the dog are said to be loyal, honest and generous, stubborn yet selfish.
People prepare for the holiday by cleaning their homes, paying their debts, buying new clothing and cooking enormous feasts. Many individuals spiritually and physically sweep away all traces of bad luck from the previous year. Presents of money are given at New Year in a red envelope with good luck characters on it. Red is a lucky colour and is thought to bring good luck to the person receiving it.

Here in Dunedin, the Chinese New Year celebration offers everyone the chance to celebrate the New Year all over again! Its emphasis will be on culture and entertainment from the local Asian community.
The event kicks off with Mayor Chin waking the Lion at 7pm and culminates with fireworks at midnight. It will be a loud, colourful and fun-filled night, offering the community the chance to clear away evil spirits and welcome in the New Year.

The event will include a range of Asian food stalls – Chinese, Korean, Indian, Filipino, Thai and many more. There will also be a variety of gift and novelty stalls ranging from Feng Shui to kites.
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And if you’re keen to just sit back and take it all in, there will be endless cultural entertainment – Chinese Lion dancing every hour, a variety of dance, martial arts stalls, a fortune God, and heaps of spot prizes!

Chinese New Year is organised by the Dunedin City Council Events team – this year with help of Alison Ng, who (with her proficiency in four Asian languages) has helped coordinate the entertainment for the event


http://www.cityofdunedin.com/city/?page=feat_chineseny06