Chinese New Year 2025

Happy Chinese New Year of the Wood Snake.

This year Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, falls on January 29.

The Chinese have an animal symbolising each year, starting with the rat and ending with the pig, with a total of 12 animals.

The others, in order of arrival at the Jade emperor’s house, are ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster and dog.

There are also five elements in the Chinese zodiac: fire, water, wood, metal and earth. This year is the year of the wood snake.

Book review

God and the Angel – Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier’s tour de force of Australia and New Zealand

By Shiroma Perera-Nathan

Published by Melbourne Books

RRP $59.95

Available at all bookstores and from Melbournebooks.com.au

Author Shiroma Perera-Nathan’s book God and the Angel is a labour of love.

It took her about five years to write, from the time she won the right to do it, at an auction run by Sotheby’s Auction House in London.

HSBC Spanish Film Festival 2024

Hola!

The HSBC Spanish Film Festival presented by Palace returns to Australia this June to July with a fiesta of films for avid movie buffs.

The festival’s largest curated lineup showcases films from Spain and Latin America, screening nationally from 11 June and from 14 June in Melbourne.

The highlight of the festival is The Teacher Who Promised the Sea (El Maestro que Prometió el Mar), winner of the Audience Prize at the 2024 Gaudí Awards.

In just a few days the glorious scents of freshly cut grass and bursting blooms will permeate the air once again for the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

This favourite event will be held at the beautiful heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens over five exciting days from March 20 to 24.

Featuring the best landscape and floral talent from Australia and around the world alongside an extensive array of garden retail products, the Show is a celebration of lifestyle and our great outdoors.

On Tuesday, 2 January, I lost a very dear friend and mentor.

I met Richard Frank over 30 years ago when we were judges for the American Express Chinatown Food Festival.

Our pleasant task was to dine at various restaurants in Chinatown and award them with points for quality of food, presentation and service.

Richard was a veteran restaurateur himself and also the President of the Restaurant and Catering Association of Australia.