The Year of the Rabbit is on the way and the Ballarat Chinese community are welcoming anyone to join in the celebrations.
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An afternoon full of vibrant and colourful entertainment is expected to hit the Civic Hall stage on Saturday, January 28.
Chinese Australian Cultural Society Ballarat president Charles Zhang said Chinese New Year celebrations were all about coming together and working as a group.
"Traditional line dancing and dragon dancing, all these things need teamwork," Mr Zhang said.
"It's not one person or one family who will do that."
He said this way everyone could be a part of the traditions and share in the happiness.
Mr Zhang said the tradition stemmed from a legend about a mythical beast Nian who caused destruction and terrorised villages.
Villagers discovered loud noises and the colour red could scare the animal away, and now celebrations involved line dancing, marching and fireworks.
"The dancing and marching into the village would get rid of the dark animal; with the village in peace, everyone would celebrate," Mr Zhang said.
Nowadays, Mr Zhang said the colour was known to be good luck.
In Chinese culture, the sign of the rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity.
IN THE NEWS:
The Civic Hall performance will involve people from both Melbourne and Ballarat and will be hosted by cultural society committee member April Sui.
All the action will start at 2.30pm and is expected to run for about two hours.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children. Bookings available on trybooking.
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