MELBOURNE GREEK FESTIVAL

Antipodes Greek Festival in Melbourne is a way to immerse yourself in the rich and vibrant world of Greek culture. It is and interesting and exciting experience celebrating all things Greek. There is always an extraordinary lineup of performers, artists, stallholders, and surprises that ensure you experience a most epic celebration. Generally, this Festival is held in February every year. Here are some Cretan Dancers, dancing a folk dance called the "Sousta".

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

LANTERN FEST

The Lantern Festival (traditional Chinese: 元宵節; simplified Chinese: 元宵节; pinyin: Yuánxiāo jié), also called Shangyuan Festival and Cap Go Meh, is a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar, during the full moon. Usually falling in February or early March on the Gregorian calendar, it marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations. As early as the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance.

We celebrated it in our garden as it was a warm Summer night and it was fun to light up the lanterns and sip cool drinks.

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MOOMBA & LABOUR DAY

Moomba (also known as the Moomba Festival) is held annually in Melbourne, Australia. Run by the City of Melbourne, it is Australia's largest free community festival. This Melburnian tradition is celebrated over four days, incorporating the Labour Day long weekend, from Friday to the second Monday in March.

Moomba is culturally important to Melbourne, having been celebrated since 1955, and regularly attracts up to a million people, with a record attendance of 3.8 million (2.3 million tourists) set in 2018. In 2003, the event was renamed Melbourne Moomba Waterfest.

Traditional events include the Moomba parade, crowning of Moomba monarchs, fireworks displays, carnivals in the gardens along the river, river activities including watersports, water floats and the Birdman Rally, as well as live music and bands.

Labour Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

This posts is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR 2024!

Chinese New Year is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. Marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season, observances traditionally take place from Chinese New Year's Eve, the evening preceding the first day of the year, to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February.

Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. It has influenced similar celebrations in other cultures, commonly referred to collectively as Lunar New Year, such as the Losar of Tibet, the Tết of Vietnam, the Korean New Year, and the Ryukyu New Year. It is also celebrated worldwide in regions and countries that house significant Overseas Chinese or Sinophone populations, especially in Southeast Asia. It is also prominent beyond Asia, especially in Australia, Canada, Mauritius, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as in many European countries.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

MELBOURNE'S MOOMBA

Moomba (also known as the Moomba Festival) is held annually in Melbourne, Australia. Run by the City of Melbourne, it is Australia's largest free community festival. The Melburnian tradition is celebrated over four days, incorporating the Labour Day long weekend, from Friday to the second Monday in March.

Moomba is culturally important to Melbourne, having been celebrated since 1955, and regularly attracts up to a million people, with a record attendance of 3.8 million (2.3 million tourists) set in 2018. In 2003, the event was renamed Melbourne Moomba Waterfest.

Traditional events include the Moomba parade, crowning of Moomba monarchs, fireworks displays, carnivals in the gardens along the river, river activities including watersports, water floats and the Birdman Rally, as well as live music and bands. In 2021, the usual Moomba was cancelled by Melbourne City Council, for the first time ever, due to events and issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. However "Moomba 2.0" events were held on 5–8 March.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

CUP DAY AT THE PARKLANDS

This year, for the first time in its history, The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) advised the general public, that in light of the COVID 19 pandemic, it was not possible to welcome spectators to Flemington Racecourse for the 2020 Melbourne Cup Carnival. The tens of thousands of spectators who normally filled the Flemington Racecourse, found other ways to celebrate on this most important Melbourne public holiday.

In the Darebin Parklands, many people went in early in the morning to reserve the best spots for their day out of picnicking, drinking, having a laugh with family and friends and of course listening to the calling of the Big Race at 3:00 pm in the afternoon... It was a glorious Summer's day and I must say everyone was quite sensible about social distancing and mask wearing (except when sipping champagne and munching on canapés, of course!).

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and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

HAPPY (ORTHODOX) EASTER

It is the Orthodox Easter this Sunday, so to all who celebrate it, Happy Easter! For the vagaries of calculating the Western Church/Orthodox Church Easter and Passover, see here.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

CHINESE NEW YEAR

At the 2016 census, 356,324 (or 8.5%) of the inhabitants of Melbourne who nominated their ancestry, nominated Chinese ancestry solely or along with another ancestry.

Chinatown (Chinese: 墨爾本華埠) is an ethnic enclave in the Central Business District (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Centred at the eastern end of Little Bourke Street, it extends between the corners of Swanston and Spring Streets, and consists of numerous laneways, alleys and arcades. Established in the 1850s during the Victorian gold rush, it is notable for being the longest continuous Chinese settlement in the Western World and the oldest Chinatown in the Southern Hemisphere.

Chinese New Year has a long tradition in Melbourne, and includes free cultural festivities across the city. Feasting and the awakening of the dragon are just some of the traditional festivities in Melbourne's Chinatown. Join in and explore Melbourne's rich Chinese heritage as Chinatown comes alive in stunning hues of red and gold. Chinese New Year also lights up our city streets from Queensbridge Square to Southgate, South Wharf and Docklands to Queen Victoria Market, with light installations, street performances, outdoor food stalls and acrobatic lion dances.

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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FESTIVE JANUARY

Happy New Year to Everyone!

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CHRISTMAS IN MELBOURNE

We had a perfect Summer's day for Christmas this year and many people chose the great outdoors for the Christmas lunch. Beaches, parks, nature reserves, barbecue areas were all popular spots for the festive fare spread. And after lunch of course, nothing better than a quiet lie down on the green lawn to digest...

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CHRISTMAS EVE

Happy Christmas to all who celebrate this festive day. May you have a joyful, jolly and delightful day close to those you love!

The detail of the nativity is from a stained glass window in the Our Lady Help Of Christians Catholic Church in 49 Nicholson St, Brunswick East VIC 3057.

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FESTIVE 4

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BLACK CAT

As Halloween nears, what better reminder than a chance encounter with a black cat?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

IT'S OCTOBER

Celebrating October

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EASTER MOON

The date of Easter Day is usually the first Sunday after the first Full Moon occurring on or after the March equinox. According to the Bible, Jesus’ death and resurrection occurred around the time of the Jewish Passover, which was celebrated on the first full moon following the vernal equinox. This soon led to Christians celebrating Easter on different dates. At the end of the 2nd century, some churches celebrated Easter on the day of the Passover, while others celebrated it on the following Sunday.

In 325CE the Council of Nicaea established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. From that point forward, the Easter date depended on the ecclesiastical approximation of March 21 for the vernal equinox. Easter is delayed by 1 week if the full moon is on Sunday, which decreases the chances of it falling on the same day as the Jewish Passover. The council’s ruling is contrary to the Quartodecimans, a group of Christians who celebrated Easter on the day of the full moon, 14 days into the month.

Not all Christian churches observe Easter according the Gregorian calendar. Some churches still observe Easter under the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was created because the Julian calendar was slightly too long. With the Julian calendar, the equinox date moved towards the earlier dates of March and further away from the Easter. Therefore, the introduction of the Gregorian calendar allowed for a realignment with the equinox.

In the Gregorian calendar, Easter falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25 from 1753 to 2400. In the Julian calendar, used by some eastern or Orthodox churches, Easter also falls on a Sunday from March 22 to April 25, which in the Gregorian calendar are from April 3 to May 10 from 1753 to 2400.

There have been a number of suggested reforms for the Easter date. For example, in 1997 the World Council of Churches proposed a reform of the Easter calculation to replace an equation-based method of calculating Easter with direct astronomical observation. This would have solved the Easter date difference between churches that observe the Gregorian calendar and those that observe the Julian calendar. The reform was proposed to be implemented in 2001, but it is not yet adopted.

Another example of a proposed reform occurred in the United Kingdom, where the Easter Act 1928 was established to allow the Easter date to be fixed as the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April. However, this law was not implemented, although it remains on the UK Statute Law Database.

If you celebrate Easter, may you have a peaceful and happy celebration!

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and also part of the Friday Photo Journal.

NEW YEAR WISHING

Every New Year gives us a chance to start something new and fresh. Each New Year allows us to learn from our mistakes and use our experience for the better. This New Year make the world a kinder, more loving place for others, and you will find that it will become better for yourself too.

Thank you everyone for visiting here and leaving your thoughts and kind comments. My very best wishes for you and those you love. Happy New Year 2017!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

POLISH FESTIVAL 2016

On Sunday November 13, we attended the largest Polish festival in Australia at Federation Square in the City. Now in its twelfth year, the Polish Festival is a celebration of the language, customs and culture of the Polish people, showcasing Poland’s famous hospitality, hearty food, romantic traditions, song and dance, with merchandise and culinary delights that truly transport one to the historical town squares of Europe.

Whether you love it for the lively, old-world atmosphere, unique shopping or just the tasty food and beer, this festival has something for everyone. This annual event brings together a community of expatriates and descendants of Polish immigrants, all keen to share the best of what Poland has to offer. And a good time was had by all!

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THE MELBOURNE CUP

The Melbourne Cup is the horse race of all Australian horse races. Every year when this race is run around 3:00 pm, it literally stops the entire nation. Melbourne Cup Day is fixed on the first Tuesday in November and although it is a public holiday only in the Melbourne Metropolitan area, Australians all over the nation are glued to their television screens or listen on the radio (or on the internet too, nowadays, I suppose) to watch this historic race.

The race is held over a distance of 3,200 meters, the traditional two-mile cup distance, for horses three years and older and is the richest and most prestigious “two-mile” handicap in the world. It is held in Flemington Racecourse, located in Flemington, one of Melbourne's inner city suburbs, which is named after a butcher who lived there in the 19th century. I certainly hope he didn't sell horse meat - that would be grand irony!

The first Melbourne Cup was run in 1861. There were 17 starters and the prize was 170 pounds and a hand-beaten gold watch (this was the trophy given before the traditional Loving Cup which the Melbourne Cup is known for). “Archer”, the first Cup-winning horse, had been walked to Melbourne from its stable in Nowra, New South Wales, a distance of about 800km. “Archer” won again the following year to a prize of 810 gold sovereigns (£810) and a gold watch. “Archer” went on to win the race the following year once more, making him one of the five horses to win the event more than once.

The Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey Club merged to form the Victoria Racing Club in 1864. The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) had taken charge of the proceedings since then. The Melbourne Cup saw even more promise and popularity under the auspices of the VRC. By 1865, Cup Day was declared a half-day holiday. By 1877 it was declared a whole day holiday to allow patrons to crowd the Flemington racecourse. The Cup was first held on the first Tuesday of November in 1875. It then too adopted the four-day format, which later evolved to today's well-attended Carnival.

From then until now the Melbourne Cup was growing to a locally and internationally supported event. The Flemington racetrack is the most popular course in Australia and the home of the organisers of the VRC. The whole field has a capacity of 120,000. Spectators who cannot get into Flemington watch from the television panels outside of the field. The pear-shaped track has a back straight of six furlongs. The final straight to the finishing post measures 450 metres long. The length of the home stretch has decided Melbourne Cup races throughout history.

Melbourne Cup Day in 2016 is tomorrow, November 1st. To all punters out there, good luck! I am not a betting man but every year I enter the traditional friendly sweepstakes where I hand over my two-dollar coin as I bid goodbye to it - I haven't won once! Anyway, that's the extent of my gambling…

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HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

Chinese New Year begins to be celebrated on February 8th in 2016. The Chinese New Year celebrations can last for about 15 days. It is usually a busy time filled with festive programs across different communities in Australia. Like in many countries around the world, Chinese New Year celebrations in Australia include the following events and activities:

Street festivals featuring arts, entertainment and children’s activities.
Chinese New Year markets showcasing arts, crafts and food stalls.
Dancing, music and people wearing colourful costumes to welcome the Chinese New Year.
Vibrant displays of Chinese lanterns, firecrackers and fireworks.
Many Chinese Australian families spend Chinese New Year by gathering together for a festive meal.
Children often receive red envelopes with money (Hong Bao, Ang Pao, or Lai See).

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
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