Lion dances welcome the Year of the Snake

Lion dance parades have commenced in Chinatown in the prelude to the the Chinese New Year.

Last weekend a 30 to 40-member parade lit ear-poppingly noisy fireworks, performing music and acrobatics as they made their way down Chinatown’s Dixon St. The performers visited shops along the way as a crowd of several hundred people followed.

The parade continued past Market City and along Sussex St through to Campbell St.

Performers David Zhang and Nelson Luk played one of the lions. “There’s two roles, the head and tail; the tail lifts the other guy up,” said Mr Zhang. “[Nelson’s] the head and I’m the tail.”

The boys, both Sydney born and bred, are part of a large team which will perform lion dances in several locations around Chinatown during the festival.

Nelson Luk said the performance was a form of blessing for the new year. “It symbolises money, wealth and all that,” he said.

President of the Australian Chinese Community Association, Dr Tony Pun said many families and children enjoy the Chinese New Year spectacle, including the main parade.

“The younger [people] deserve to see it live, face to face. That’s why the parade is such a crowd drawer. It pulls a lot of people,” he said.

Mr Pun said he was impressed by the initiative of the City of Sydney Council in growing the festival over the years.

“What Australia has done is show that we appreciate, acknowledge and practice some of the festivities of the New Year,” he said.

Dr Pun was born a citizen of British Malaysia and immigrated to Australia several decades ago. He has grown children and grandchildren who are second and third generation Australians.

“Speaking as an Australian, I think our expressions of the Chinese culture would in fact win the hearts of the [mainland] Chinese people,” said Mr Pun.

The Dixon St lion dance parades will continue over coming weeks. The Chinese New Year festivities organised by the City of Sydney run from February 8-24. The Twilight Parade is on Sunday February 17.