SYDNEY, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Nearly a century after Chinese immigrants consolidated their urban enclave at Sydney's Haymarket precinct in the 1920s, Chinatown has boomed into a cultural hub of multiple Asian communities, also attracting tens of thousands of visitors to pack this region on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year -- the Spring Festival.

As the Year of the Dragon kicked off on Saturday, the 16-day Sydney Lunar Festival also lifted its curtain coincidentally, with red packet giveaways, lion dances, food experiences as well as a variety of cultural performances arranged from dawn until dusk.

To soak up the festive atmosphere early, Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore made her appearance under the ceremonial archway sitting southern ends of Dixon Street at 11:00 a.m. local time.

In a festive outfit consisting of an embroidered Tang suit and eye-catching red boots, the city's longest-serving mayor gifted traditional red packets to visitors, residents, and business owners.

Not only did Moore express her New Year greetings with the chocolate coins inside the red envelopes, but she also said "Gong Xi Fa Cai" in Mandarin, wishing the community in Chinatown good fortune for the Year of the Dragon.

"Sydney Lunar Festival is all about celebrating our diverse Asian-Australian cultures and I want everyone to come together in a spirit of unity and make the Year of the Dragon a prosperous one for everyone," Moore told Xinhua in a statement.

"From the party on Saturday night where we close streets and make way for lion dancing, food stalls, roving performances and more entertainment. Then there is the amazing artwork all around the city; the lanterns on George Street, the wooden dragon on Dixon Street, the light rail wrapped with a dragon, the banner galleries, and Lunar gateways," the mayor added.

When the clock ticked to 5:00 p.m. local time, the Spring Festival party emerged in full swing.

The aroma of various street foods wafted through the air from 25 market stalls. People lined up for many Chinese delicacies, such as dumplings, breakfast crepes, meat pies, fried skewers, and Tanghulu (Candied Fruit), while Filipino brioche rolls, Italian gelatos, and many other snacks also enriched the festival menu.

Marika and her friend Entela polished off a box of shrimp dumplings while being entertained by a 20-meter Chinese dragon weaving its way through Harbor Street.

After relocating to Australia from Italy for a couple of years, Marika found it "mind-opening" to experience a new culture, as they used to mark the new year at the end of December. "It's just the first time for us to come here and watch the Chinese New Year tradition, which is really nice," said Marika.

On Dixon Street, rows of red lanterns were hung over the pedestrian thoroughfare. At the heart of the street stood the towering "Dragon on Dixon," a majestic 5-meter-high wooden installation with a red-colored dragon gliding through the clouds.

Wearing a red T-shirt himself, Ramsin posed for a photo before the art installation along with his six-year-old daughter, who was clad in a cape as well as a one-piece, also in the same auspicious color.

Having lived here since the age of nine, Ramsin viewed the Chinese heritage as an essential element of Australia, a country that he described as a "mixing pot of different cultures."

He grew up with Asian kids in classrooms, tried Chinese tea and bread at an early age, and played basketball with Chinese friends during school years.

"I love the Chinese tradition, Hongbao. That's good and the food is nice," said Ramsin, also noting that his family often went to Chinese restaurants for wonton soup.

Now, his six-year-old daughter learned from her history teacher about the Year of the Dragon, setting the dress code for them both for the celebrations. "She kept saying 'we have to wear red' because it's the Year of the Dragon," Ramsin smiled.

Despite their plans to spend the entire day out, the father and daughter were forced to cut their trip short due to a sudden downpour, without getting the chance to fully discover the event.

"We'll be out tomorrow, seeing what there is. It's just a pity about the rain. We normally will be here all day. She loves it. She normally stalks the dragon dances," said Ramsin.

"When you have young kids, they love cultures. They love immersing themselves. And Chinese culture, normally the colors and the animal zodiac, they're all very intriguing for little kids," he added. Enditem

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