Chinese Lunar New Year 2026 - The Year of the Horse

Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well.

February 17th saw the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations 

The Lunar New Year in 2026 welcomes the Year of the Horse, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Celebrated by millions around the world, this is a time for cultural traditions, family reunions, and hopes for good fortune in the coming year.
In 2026, Lunar New Year falls on February 17th, kicking off the 16-day Spring Festival. Chinese New Year.net

Horse is the 7th animal in the Chinese zodiac. Recent Horse years include 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, and 2026.

According to Chinese astrology, Horse is confident, agreeable, and responsible, although they also tend to dislike being reined in by others. They’re fit and intelligent, adoring physical and mental exertion; they’re decisive but also easily swayed and impatient.

I was born in the Year of the Goat - do you know your Chinese zodiac sign? 

There are many traditions and festivals associated with Chinese New Year. You can find out more here - Chinese New Year - fun facts

The Lantern Festival is one of them. Our local Chinese community celebrate, inviting everyone along to enjoy.

We were in Sydney in 2018, at the time of the Chinese New Year "Year of the Rooster" celebrations - you can read about it here - Chinese New Year Sydney

I always enjoy seeing the Lion and Dragon dances.

Some years ago we were in Kuala Lumpur during Chinese New Year and we bought a Moon Cake which we had never had before, and watched a dragon dance down the street.

These two pics are from Sydney.

The Bunbury Multicultural Group have a calendar which lists the year's various cultural days. Very interesting. You can click on the links below - then click on the day you want to find out more about. I noted that the Vietnamese Tet Lunar New Year (Year of the Cat) was on 17 February. The Christian Lent began on 18 February, the Tibetan Buddhist festival Losar started on 18 February, and the Islamic Ramadan started on 19 February.

Here are the two links -
Multicultural calendar
Multicultural events

So many cultures have festivals around the same time. We enjoy a multicultural population in Bunbury where I live. The different cultures bring such a wonderful mix to our city. 

Every year we have the Bunbury Multicultural Festival which is always a wonderful explosion of cultural, sound, and dance

This is our beautiful principal dancer and teacher, Nicole, from Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company in Bunbury where I was learning flamenco.

You can see more here on my blog - 

Multicultural Festival 2016
Chinese New Year 2021
Chinese Lantern Festival 2024
Sol y Sombra 30th Year anniversary - 2020

For more information:
Chinese New Year.net
Bunbury Multicultural Group

Thank you so much for stopping by. do you have a cultural festival in your area that you enjoy? Perhaps you would like to tell us about it in your comments. 

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

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Until then, enjoy your day...Life only comes around once, so do

Already 2 months into the year???

 Hi everyone, I haven't been around much this year, I have been a little bit of a blogging break, but I am still here. Everything is ok, other than a couple of family issues. All of which will be resolved in time. 

In regional Western Australia, my family on the south coast, and in the wheatbelt were both impacted by massive bushfires. Thankfully neither of them lost any of their property or stock, although the fires werre very close, and thousands of hectares of agriculture and bushland were burnt and stock lost. 

How are you all doing? I hope you have been staying safe from Covid. Western Australia has been kept relatively safe for the last two years, but with our internal and international borders opening at the end of this week, case numbers are already rising. Even though I am fully vaxed I am fearful and hesitant to be out and about much. 

Did you watch the Winter Olympics? We don't have much snow in Australia so we really enjoyed watching the fast sports of the Winter Olympics. What they do is amazing. Australia won 4 medals, their highest number in a winter Olympics. I am looking forward to watching some of the Para Winter Olympics. 

Anyway a little run down of my year so far.  

In January we went down to Albany on our south coast so that I could attend a three day summer school - advanced botanical eco-printing with Penny Jewell. There was a lovely group of ladies, and I learnt lots and came home with a few upcycled cotton tops I printed during the class. 

We enjoyed our few days in Albany (though my dear husband had to amuse himself for 3 days - he took his bike and fishing gear), we went walking along a coastal path every morning or evening, saw some beautiful sunsets, had dinner down at the Albany waterfront, bought some art materials in a super art warehouse, and also went over to Denmark to visit my dear elderly aunt and had lunch at the Tea House Books cafe in Denmark, saw a couple of art exhibitions, and the opportunity to walk brielfy in the tall karri forest. 

On the way back from Albany we stopped in to see the giant 8.5 metre tall aluminium cricket bat and the cricket bat fence at the cricket ground of the small town of Narrikup (just off the Albany Highway), which we had heard about on the radio on our trip down. The new giant cricket bat has just been unvieled, replacing the old one, and they are looking for donations of old cricket bats to complete their fence. Please click on the link to find out how! Narrikup Cricket Club

26 January was Australia Day. We traditionally go into town to see the fireworks but this year, wanting to avoid the crowds, we decided to view them from across the other side of Koombana Bay. We were a little bit far away, but still enjoyed them and I managed to get some pics. 

Early in February we were on-water boat control at the Forza Dragon Boat regatta in Bunbury, and also witnessed the naming of two new boats. Our family has been involved in dragon boating in Bunbury since 1990.

Over the summer we have witnessed some amazing sunsets as we walk along the Leschencult Inlet in the evening. We have also enjoyed catching up with family and friends over the summer. And my husband took me out to breakfast on Valentine's Day. 

This sunset taken on 17 February was evidently the result of voltanic ash from Tonga circling the globe. It was certainly a strange erie glow. 

I also made grape tomato chutney and grape jam in February from the grapes on our one backyard vine. What! no photos!!

And took photos of our principals Nicole and Susanna from Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company at the South West Multicultural Festival.  They truly are beautiful dancers.

I had a mini indigo workshop with my friend Amy. It really is a complicated method to get the vat ready - though perhaps could be because I have never done it before. I tied these hemp/cotton squares with string to create these patterns. 

I am now getting botanical contact-print pieces ready for the Tree Street Art Safari in the park in March which has been moved to Forrest Park in Bunbury for this year. Though I think I will decide closer to the date, depending on Covid numbers. 

How has your year started? I hope you and your families are safe and healthy. Our friend is currently having chemotherapy and my brother-in-law's wife passed away in January. I thoughts are constantly with them. 

On our Eastern seaboard, floods are rushing through Queensland and New South Wales. Homes and lives have been lost as the rain continues to fall. 

I cry for what is happening to Ukraine families at the moment with the advance of Russian troupes into their towns and villages. I saw a young girl, maybe in her 20s, on the TV tonight learning to use a gun, and families fleeing on foot across the border, mothers carrying babies, children crying because their fathers are staying behind to fight. Surely there should be a diplomatic solution. Even though we are far away I worry about what it means for the rest of us. 

I realise I have much to be thankful for in my little corner of Western Australia. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Please stay safe and whatever you are doing, enjoy your week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Flooded gum blossom

Sharon's Sovenirs 
Our World Tuesday
Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

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Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company - 30th Anniversary

 And so here is the start of another week and another Monday blog post. How are you and yours?  

We celebrated Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company and School of Dance's 30th anniversary on Sunday with a mini Fiesta in the courtyard of the Bunbury Art Gallery. It hardly seems like five years since I posted about their 25th Anniversary here - Ole-celebration-of-25-years-of-flamenco

Due to the Covid restrictions this year, we had a very different year of dancing with almost two terms of no dance classes. But with our 30th anniversary coming up we were determined to put on a show - albeit much smaller and with only family and a few close friends. However it still proved to be a wonderful afternoon of celebration. 

Unfortunately I didn't dance due to a cold I came down with last week, but I was very happy to be able to go along and take photos (whilst socially distancing), a few of which I will share here. With the late afternoon heat in the courtyard we certainly felt like we were in Spain! 

We were also treated to Gabby from the South West Opera Company singing Habanera from Carmen, Steve Hensby playing acoustic flamenco guitar and Montse and Cesar from Food with Passion South West cooking authentic Spanish paella for us. Montse teaches Spanish cooking classes, so she knows her stuff. Yum! 

We would have dearly loved to have more of our supporters join in the festivities, however, it has been a tough year for everyone, and Covid restrictions meant we had to keep numbers small, and the show as low key as possible. We will be back in 2021 with more for our amazing friends and supporters. A huge THANKYOU to everyone who contributed to our Anniversary celebrations, and danced with us and supported us over the last 30 years.

You might also like:

Dancing in the dark

A celebration of 25 years of Flamenco dancing in the South West

Weekend of art and dance

Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company

Instead of falling numbers of Covid cases it seems numbers are rising around the world. I do hope you and yours are staying safe. I have had a cold this past week, but I know it is just a cold, as we have no community spread here in Western Australia. I feel so lucky to be here - it feels very safe in our corner of the world - though I know it is dangerous to become complacent. Perhaps that is how I caught an early summer cold? 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed this little look at our 30th Anniversary celebrations. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. 

Please stay safe, wash your hands, wear a mask if required and have a wonderful week.  

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

All Seasons 
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 

Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity.
Thankful Thursday 
Der-Natur-Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at: Deep Fried Fruit
 Month end link up @ Live love craft me

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.