Find Balance at the Sydney Lunar Festival

It’s easy to fall into decay.

Reaching a point in life at which you realise you could continue to struggle just long enough to qualify as having lived a life, but that that struggle wouldn’t be too taxing, is too often considered an aspirational state of being. We’ve developed as a society enough to disparage the idea of a one true purpose, but we have not developed enough in terms of biological evolution for mild satisfaction not to lead to massive weeping bed sores.

It’s important to jostle yourself out of your routine with a wild, colourful change of scenery, and if you’re not mentally ill enough for that to happen on a regular basis without leaving the house, well then, come on down to the Lunar Festival.

Sydney’s Lunar Festival, marking the arrival of the Lunar New Year, will once again take over Haymarket, Circular Quay and the CBD! The City of Sydney will erect its suite of spectacular giant Lunar Lanterns that have been commissioned to various artists and represent the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. Dixon Street Mall will have two brand new 2.4m high Ox sculptures. Another feature of Dixon Street Mall will be the Lantern Curtain – a display of 660 colourful suspended lanterns promising a high-impact day and night transformation of the space. Special Lunar Gateways representing the Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Thai communities will also be constructed for the festival in Martin Place.

More than 80 associated events are included in the festival this year including community celebrations, concerts, exhibitions, theatrical performances, special restaurant menus, talks, workshops and tours. You’ll be able to see demonstrations of Cantonese opera, folk dance, calligraphy, tea ceremonies, painting and more. Get involved in a lion dance workshop, view exhibitions, and hear talks from members of the Asian community. The one-hour Lunar Spectacular Show will also take place on stage at Lower Town Hall. Chinese, Korean, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Indonesian community groups will take part in dancing, drumming and fashion shows.

The Rocks Lunar Markets will also be on, turning Playfair Street into an Asian street food festival including gifts, Mahjong, zodiac readings and an ‘Ox in a china shop’ display in Kendall Lane. Restaurants in the city will be celebrating with special Lunar Feasts, and food fanatics can take a three-hour Tastes of Chinatown Food Tour guided by experts and including tastings.

A consistent sense of security is as damaging as a complete lack thereof.

So, cultivate your lucrative relationships, work diligently, maintain your plumbing, and overdose on DMT at a late night Cantonese opera, dressed like an ox.

 

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