Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has joined thousands of revellers across the country ushering in the Lunar New Year.
The Prime Minister joined colleagues Andrew Giles and Sally Sitou on Sunday at Emerald Square in Burwood as festivities kicked off across Sydney.
He watched a traditional lion dance, handed out red pockets, and met with local community members before visiting the My Kitchen restaurant and local grocery store Market Place.
Mr Albanese wasn’t the only politician getting involved in festivities on Sunday, as Foreign Minister Penny Wong joined in at the Zhu-Lin Buddhist Temple in South Australia.
The event was just one of hundreds across the country, with celebrations expected to continue through to the end of January.
It marks the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit – or the Year of the Cat for Vietnamese communities.
The City of Sydney has claimed the festivities across the state capital will be the largest outside of Asia, and will run until February 5.
Earlier in the week, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said she hoped the celebrations could help revitalise Chinatown, which was hard hit by the pandemic.
“We’re hopping into the year of the rabbit with a fabulous festival that will breathe new life into the area, helping businesses make the most of pent up demand and giving everyone a chance to come together and enjoy one of the highlights of our yearly calendar,” she said.
The holiday also marks the first new year celebrations since the lifting of Covid restrictions in China.
There are expected to be 2 billion individual journeys made in the country over the 16 day new year period.
