Dragon to rise for Lunar New Year

THE Year of the Dragon is upon us and will be ushered in next month with the celebration of the Lunar New Year.

One of the biggest events in Asian culture, Lunar New Year is about families coming together and will this year take place on 10 February.

Hugo Leschen, CEO of Golden Dragon Museum, said the Chinese dragon is an important animal for Asian people because they are seen as benevolent beings that help if they are looked after.

“Generally the Chinese dragons are very powerful and generous and helpful and kindly towards humans, so we’ll especially celebrate with the Bendigo Chinese Association the year of the dragon,” he said.

The Golden Dragon Museum is home to the largest collection of Chinese heritage artefacts and documents in Australia including Loong, the oldest intact processional dragon in the world.

“We love all our objects equally, but it’s a bit like grandchildren, if we had to love some objects more than others, it may be that we love our dragons most,” Mr Leschen said.

“They are very particular, they have their own presence about them, and they are really special,”

This year the Lunar New Year parade will be led by Sun Loong, the world’s second oldest processional dragon.

Sun Loong has paraded in Bendigo since 1970 but now only comes out for special celebrations.

Mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo Cr Andrea Metcalf said she was looking forward to seeing Sun Loong in procession and can remember seeing the dragon when she was younger.

“I just love the Chinese lion teams, they’re just fantastic the way that they perform and they’re so real and lifelike in how they dance around it’s just lovely to see,” she said.

This year the procession will involve 50 dragon bearers and at least 20 other bearers to carry other animals and regalia for Sun Loong.

“We’re the city of dragons,” Ms Metcalf said. “It’s the year of dragons.”

Luna New Year celebrations will take place at Dai Gum San from 5.30 pm on Saturday 10 February.

A traditional ceremony to awaken the dragon before Sun Loong’s procession at 7pm.