Chinese New Year is a Chinese festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar and is often referred to as the spring festival. An annual event, Chinese New Year dates back to the beginning of the Shang Dynasty about 4000 years ago. During this time, the spring festival began as a tradition of respect to ancestors and deities during the close and beginning of years.
This year, the spring festival commences on February 4th, continuing on till 10th February.
One of the popular traditions for this period is the hanging of Chinese red scrolls. These can be made of both red paper or red cloth with beautiful pictures and auspicious Chinese words on them, written calligraphy style. These red hanging scrolls are used to bring good luck, harmony and protection to the home.
Chinese calligraphy is an Oriental tradition rooted in centuries of practice. It is an art of turning square Chinese characters into expressive images by varying the speed and pressure of a pointed Chinese brush.
Do you feel you could do with some good luck this year? Then head to Garden City Library, Garden City Shopping Centre, Cnr of Logan and Kessels Road, Upper Mt Gravatt, on Saturday, 2nd of February and Saturday, 9th of February.
Between 10am and 1pm on these days, members of
The Orchard Pavillion, a local calligraphy group, will be giving away red scrolls to celebrate Chinese New Year. To these artisans, calligraphy is a mental exercise that coordinates the mind and the body to choose the best styling in presenting the content of the passage.
"Gong hei fat choy" which directly translates to "wishing you great happiness and prosperity".
Thank you to the Orchid Pavillion Calligraphy group for your generosity in both spirit and kind.
