Chinese New Year Festival 2008 in Springvale, Victoria

Rhonda SG

This evening, I attended the Chinese New Year Festival in Springvale. Originally, I intended to make the trip alone but a neighbour wanted to join me so off we went!

This is Australia's version of the Pasar Malam type fairs. It's mostly run by the Aussies of Vietnamese-Chinese descent, most of whom can converse in Mandarin and / or Cantonese fluently. Apparently last year, there were almost 70,000 visitors to this day-long festival! It was chaotic with the hordes of crowd but it contributed to the Chinese New Year atmosphere!

It was quite thrilling to catch sight of this Ice-Cream Van. They're usually there in fairs and in Summer, they will drive slowly around the neighbourhood, playing music-box music to try to attract the kids! I've never bought from a van like this because I have my freezer full of ice-cream this Summer and I always have my smoothies or my Gelato when I go out. Waist a bit thicker than it was liao... and it was already thick to begin with!

Here's one of the dozens of Vietnamese-Chinese stalls selling the same staples of Grilled Corn, Satay Chicken / Beef (blardy costs A$2.50 ONE stick!! Then towards the end of the day, the prices dropped to 4 sticks for A$5.), and some grilled meat wrapped in some dark-green leaf.

Yet another stall... selling exactly the same stuff! So disappointing! The food spread here is worse than the one in Victoria Street's Chinese New Year Festival two weeks ago! :P

Looking a little like half a tako-pachi, this is a Vietnamese Shrimp Cake snack.

Several pirated DVD / CD stalls were set up there, with the policemen openly patrolling the area and no one seemed to bother! One stall was even selling any 5 Asian DVD's for A$20.

The Ferris Wheel. It looks quite lau kok kokz!

One of the fun fair stalls. It's a legitimate "Come and kena ripped off" scheme!

Chinese New Year decorations... ended up buying a few. Hehe!

This little boy was in front of a stand promoting some Viet-Chinese concert and he had a mini lion dance head on, which played out the 'dong dong chiang' songs, and he was trying his best to impress the crowd! He was the best entertainment of the day! A small crowd actually gathered around him, giggling and smiling away.

I present to you, the Lion Cub Dance!

After a while, the lion cub got exhausted, so he performed a Crouching Lion, Resting Boy stance!

More kids at play... and oh gosh, the train driver is almost spilling onto the tracks!

Somehow, the animals look tortured...

And oh, there was this one blardy Ice Kachang stall that was selling their Ice Kachang for A$5!!! Craziness!!

And bought a few slices of bak gua again... at rip-off A$2.50 ONE slice! But what to do, no other substitute here.

Gotta remember to buy Pineapple Tarts soon!

Rhonda SG

Biangz... posting a reply is so much quicker than attempting to edit one's post!

Anyways, in this photo, you can see the Grilled leaves encasing some grilled meat skewer I mentioned. Tasted really delicious, whatever it was!

And, I think it's hard to go out and take pictures when you're with friends who aren't keen on that. Sometimes, going out alone gives one more photo opportunities. I empathise with LotusFairy.

the Bear SG

there's usually one like this at around the Greek part of the city around F1GP time... only it's Greek..

i like these things.. usually end up eating too much and feeling sick after from it

Rhonda SG

there's usually one like this at around the Greek part of the city around F1GP time... only it's Greek..

i like these things.. usually end up eating too much and feeling sick after from it

I think there are lots of fairs around run by the different ethnic groups. There's yet another Chinese New Year Festival in Chinatown next weekend, followed by the Osaka Festival the weekend after that. Not so sure I want to attend a 3rd CNY fair, and last year, the one at Chinatown was disappointing. Bah! I'm extremely keen on the Osaka Festival though, and will try to attend that.

elindra SG

Ahhh nice Rhonda :)

Glad that you enjoyed yourself too :)

淋雨 SG

Happy Lunar New Year

laurence82 SG

doesnt look like australia

Rhonda SG

doesnt look like australia

Actually, you're right. I looked around at all the Vietnamese signs there and thought that I could easily say that I was in a fair in Vietnam and all of you would be none the wiser! harharhar!

Rhonda SG

Here are two more photos taken from another Chinese New Year Festival. This one's from the celebrations in Victoria Street, the famous stretch of road full of Vietnamese grocery shops, restaurants, and drug pushers! At night, Vietnamese gangsters hang out there.

These shots aren't too good, cause they are taken with my mobile phone.

Here's something you guys take for granted, but for me over here, it's like Yippee!! Chai Tow Kway!! (Sadly, the chai tow kway here, whether by the Vietnamese Chinese or the Malaysians, are very hard!)

Aussie Lions are always taking breaks when they should be prancing around doing the Lion Dance! Come on and dance already, mate!

jetta SG

Wah Rhonda, you have such a ready supply of stuff I crave for, you lucky thing.

We also have an annual CNY fair here organised by the Viet community. We call it CNY they call it Tet and it's going to be on the 8th, 9th and 10th. I'll give it a visit this year. They charge a $5 admission fee though. Did you have to pay?

Rhonda SG

Wah Rhonda, you have such a ready supply of stuff I crave for, you lucky thing.

Thank goodness there weren't any admission fees! Biangz... that would have spoilt the fun somewhat, having to pay admission fees for it!

Yesterday, I went hunting for Mandarin Oranges to pai nian with my friend's family but this year, there are NO MANDARIN ORANGES for CNY!! Tons of Lychees and Longans though.

Honeymouse's bro-in-law was so funny! We were trying to convince him that Lychees and Longans are different... so he peeled one each, put them together, and then declared, "Oh! A Lychee is a Longan with Cataracts!"

Rhonda SG

Thank goodness there weren't any admission fees! Biangz... that would have spoilt the fun somewhat, having to pay admission fees for it! I'm actually hoping that the large PRC community here will rally together to organise their own CNY fair because I think the standard of food in these Vietnamese CNY fairs are quite deplorable! And the selection of food is... wait... WHAT selection? And whilst we're on this topic, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the huge Korean community here will have their own fair as well! Hehe! I like to say "Annyeong Hasseyo!" (Greeting.) with a nod and "Kamsah Hamnidah!" (Thank You!) with another nod! And if they burst into Korean, thinking that I can speak their language, I can reply in Korean, saying that I do not speak their language, please speak in English!

I'm trying to change my roster so that I can attend the Osaka Fair next weekend. That would be fun!

Yesterday, I went hunting for Mandarin Oranges to pai nian with my friend's family but this year, there are NO MANDARIN ORANGES for CNY!! Tons of Lychees and Longans though.