Started in 2011, the event attracts over 300 competitors, and crowd in excess of 9,000. Participants from New Zealand and overseas compete in highland dancing, piping and drumming, tug of war, highland spin, small bore shooting, amateur scottish heavy athleticsand the Oceania Heavyweight Championship. Additionally, there are over 100 stalls offering food and merchandise.
Read MoreOn October 23, Hungarians around the globe and in New Zealand commemorated the sixtyth anniversary of their uprising against Soviet-communist rule. Hungarians of Auckland gathered in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, while in Wellington celebration was held in the Hungarian Millenium Park, then followed by dinner and performances in the Parliament House.
Read MoreThere are 363 Vietnamese residents in Christchurch (2013 census). The Vietnamese Society of Christchurch was formed with the main objective, that is promoting and fostering 1/ friendship understanding among society members and 2/ the culture and tradition of Vietnam. Minh Lengoc is elected to coordinate the society activities, which serve the above objective. This year the Society celebrated the Vietnmese mid-autumn festival on September 25th in Templin hall of Canterbury Horticultural Centre, Hagley park.
Read MoreThe camaraderie that Nepali people and Kiwis share - which started in 1953 when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited Sagarmatha (or Mt Everest as it is known outside Nepal) – was on full display the last weekend during the City's Dussehra celebrations.
Read MoreThe South West Baptist Church of Christchurch, which in the past has been known by many names including Lincoln Road Baptist, Lyttelton Street Baptist, Spreydon and Halswell Baptist, celebrated its 150 years of establishment over the weekend of October 14 – 16.
Read MoreFor third year in a row, Homeland - the multimedia multicultural performance show organised by the Chinese Culture Association (CCA) in collaboration with the Canterbury Migrants Centre (CMC) has been hailed as a huge success.
Read More"One of the most important traditional Chinese festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, around the time of the autumn equinox (usually September 22). As the full bright moon on that night tends to inspire people's anticipation for a family reunion, it is also called "Festival of Reunion."Moon cakes and watermelons (cut into the shape of a lotus) are indispensable for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Read MoreThe Canterbury Nepalese Society (CNS) organised it's annual Hindu festival of Teej Sanjha 2073 on September 2, which was attended by over 200 Nepalese families living in Christchurch. The Bhutanese Society of Christchurch (BSC), which organised its own Teej festival on September 3, had also organised the first-ever Bhutanese Nite [Bhutani Sanjh] in Christchurch recently. Held at Elmwood School Auditorium, the Nite was attended by over 300 Bhutanese living in the Garden City. (picture courtesy: BSC)
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The Canterbury Indonesian Society celebrated the 71st Indonesian Independence Day in Christchurch, which also saw participation from the wider community, on August 28. Elyana Thenu, President of CIS, who came to New Zealand 20 years back, noted, “While the Indonesian community is not very large in Christchurch, and mainly consists of students studying in various universities, it's important that the community gets together on such occasions to remind ourselves of the great sacrifices the previous generations have made so that we can enjoy the fruits of freedom.” The event also saw performance of Indang dance from West Sumatra and Cerana dance from Timor East. There were competitions of traditional games too including the Indonesian favourite - tug of war.
Read MoreThe small but vibrant Singaporean community in Christchurch celebrated the 51st Singapore National Day on August 12 at Chateau on the Park, with Lianne Dalziel, Mayor of Christchurch, and Ang Seow Wei, Deputy High Commissioner at High Commission of Singapore in New Zealand, in attendance.
Read MoreThe Zimbabwean Canterbury Association (ZCA) and New Zealand AIDS Foundation joined hands to celebrate the Zimbabwe Heroes' Day in Christchurch on August 20. There was lots of Zimbabwean food and music, as well as speeches by community leaders and representatives from the African Council. Simon Mutonhori, President of ZCA, informed that the community has been celebrating the Day ever since their Association was formed in 2003.
Read MoreOn July 14, 1789, the Parisian crowd seized the Bastille prison, a symbol of royal tyranny. Over all, the French Revolution was a movement that shook France between 1787 and 1799, and was against the feudal regime that had plagued the country for centuries before that.
Read MoreThe Dante Alighieri Society of Christchurch in collaboration with the Italian Embassy organised the Italian National Day in Christchurch on June 8. The guests were entertained to a violin and piano concert by two international artists, violinist Francesco D’Orazio and pianist Giampaolo Nuti, who presented compositions by Marco Betta, Igor Stravinsky, Nino Rota and Ferruccio Busoni.
Read MoreCo-organised by the Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) South Island NZ and Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple (FGSBT) South Island, the residents of Christchurch were introduced to the ideals of Humanistic Buddhism at the Buddha's Birthday Festival Future & Hope Prayer Ceremony at FGSBT on May 14.
Read MoreWith thousands thronging the Riccarton Park Racecourse on March 6, the annual Canterbury Japan Day proved to be a hit with all age-groups. While kids had fun with Kantan – the official mascot and a very cute rabbit as well as with Origami – the traditional Japanese paper craft, the elders enjoyed trying their hands on the Japanese instrument Koto. Kite-making workshop by Mr. Modegi and Japanese calligraphy lessons were also widely hailed.
Read MoreOrganised by the Christchurch City Council as part of its Summer Times programme, and ably supported by Plains FM - Canterbury’s only community access radio station, and Fendalton-Waimairi and Riccarton-Wigram Community Boards, the 2016 Culture Galore [an annual free outdoor multicultural festival] held on March 12 at the Ray Blank Park in Ilam, was a feast for all the senses.
Read MoreThe 300-member Canterbury Nepalese Society (CNS), which was established in 2015, celebrated the Hindu New Year 2073 at the Aurora Centre in Christchurch on April 13.
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