Sydney celebrates Chinese New Year

Thousands have lined Sydney's George Street to celebrate the twilight parade to ring in the Chinese New Year.

Jugglers, martial artists, giant sheep and a few Bo Peeps have marched down George Street to ring in the Chinese New Year.

Thousands lined Sydney's main stretch on Sunday to watch more than 3000 performers celebrate the year of the sheep.

A five-metre golden merino, shepherds, shearers, bo peeps and knitting grannies marched past Sydney's Town Hall along with traditional Chinese warriors, dancers and musicians.

"The twilight parade is one of the most loved events in our Chinese New Year Festival and as we welcome in the year of the sheep, we will also be celebrating its fundamental part in Australia's growth as a nation and the strong ties to the Chinese community," creative director Gill Minervini said.

"People born in the year of the sheep are wise, dependable, creative, calm, kind and clever - characteristics that we are celebrating in our twilight parade, along with a few surprises."

More than 100 performers from China as well as floats from the Korean, Vietnamese and Thai communities were also on display.

The parade weaved down George Street and through Sydney's Chinatown before ending at Cockle Bay for a fireworks display to ward off last year's bad luck and welcome the new year, which was officially marked on February 19.

"We're very proud of this festival, it's gone form strength to strength," Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

"It's the largest festival celebrating Chinese New Year outside of Asia."

Sydney resident Rain Liu, 30, brought her visiting Chinese parents to the parade.

"It's a big event in Sydney," she said.

"It's going to be bigger than in my own city in Hunan province."

Richard Ryu, 20, has been in Australia for six months studying accounting at Macquarie University.

Visiting the parade with friends, he said he will miss his usual tradition of eating and playing games with his family.

"We have lunch or dinner together and with three or four people we play games," he said.

"It's like Christmas."

The sheep is the eighth sign in the Chinese Zodiac and is also referred to as the goat or ram.


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Source: AAP


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