Explore: Chinese New Year festivities, noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday

Gung Hay Fat Choy — celebrations to welcome Chinese New Year take place Sunday in Chinatown.

The Chinese traditionally calculate their new year by the lunar calendar. This year, the lunar new year starts on Saturday.

They also subscribe to a Chinese zodiac, where every year is characterized by one of 12 animals, which sets the tone for the year.

To the Chinese, 2017 is the Year of the Rooster. Previous Rooster years are 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993 and 2005.

Each animal is also associated with one of five elements: Gold (Metal), Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth. The element and the animal sign shape the astrology of the year. Element-sign combinations recur once every 60 years.

This year’s combination makes it a Fire Rooster year.

The Chinese believe one’s personality and destiny are influenced by both zodiac and element signs.

People who are Fire Roosters (born in 1957) are seen as trustworthy, observant and courageous, with a strong sense of timekeeping and responsibility at work. Celebrities who share this sign include Daniel Day-Lewis and John Turturro.

Other animal signs in the zodiac include the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, dog and pig.

The local Chinese community rings in the New Year with a lion dance and parade in Canada’s oldest Chinatown on Sunday.

The new year is still the most important festival of the year in China, with seven days of public holidays, which people traditionally use to travel home to be with friends and family.

Sunday’s event celebrates the new year with lion and dragon dances, kung fu and tai chi demonstrations and traditional dancing.

The event is free to attend. Festivities run from noon to 4 p.m. near the Gate of Harmonious Interest in the 500 block of Fisgard Street.

Restaurants vie for title in borscht cook-off

Vote for the best borscht at BorschtFest, a fundraiser for St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church on Sunday in Nanaimo.

Borscht is a soup made from beets that traces its origin to Eastern Europe. Dozens of variations can be found in Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Belarusian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian and Ashkenazi Jewish kitchens.

Sunday’s event is a friendly competition to see which restaurant makes the best borscht in the city — organizers liken it to a chili cook-off with a Ukrainian twist.

Restaurants represented include Sandy’s Ukrainian Kitchen, Firehouse Grill, New York Style Pizza and Pasta, 2 Chefs Affair, Coco Cafe, Modern Cafe, Sandwich House and Dish Downtown.

Participants are the judges, casting votes for the best borscht after sampling the various creations.

But hurry, there are only 250 tickets and the event sold out quickly last year.

Tickets are $10 and can be pre-purchased in person from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday at the church parish hall, by phone at 250-722-3830 or by email at theomac@lycos.com. Any tickets left over will be available at the door on the day of the event.

The event runs from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at the St. Michael the Archangel Parish Hall, 4017 Victoria Ave., Nanaimo.

For more information, go to nanaimo.nweparchy.ca.

Walks for budding naturalists

With the weather warming up, it’s an excellent time to get out with the family on a guided

CRD Parks walk. This weekend features two opportunities to explore.

On Saturday, join a CRD Parks naturalist for Tracks and Traces, where participants five and older become nature super sleuths. Even mom and dad can help identify animals by the clues they leave behind.

The event runs from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park. Meet at the park’s nature centre off the main parking lot. The park is served by B.C. Transit routes No. 70 or 75.

On Sunday, the young and the young-at-heart learn to give hoot at Who’s Hooting? at Mill Hill Regional Park.

Participants will learn owl calls and find out about a B.C. resident whoo-o-o has big eyes, stays up late at night and snacks on mice.

The event is for all ages and runs 1 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Langford park. Meet at the kiosk in the parking lot off Atkins Avenue. The park can be reached on the No. 53 B.C. Transit bus.

Both activities are free. Try to arrive 10 minutes before the start of the program. Please leave pets at home. For information, go to crd.bc.ca/parks.

An afternoon with UVic music students and faculty

Enjoy music performed by students and faculty from the University of Victoria School of Music at two events on Friday.

Fridaymusic is an afternoon concert series beginning on Friday and recurring weekly until the end of March. Each week, the students will perform a varied repertoire with different instruments — strings, voice, woodwinds, brass, guitar and percussion. They will play music scores from well-known as well as student composers.

Admission is by donation. The concert runs from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. in the Phillip T. Young Recital Hall, B-Wing of the MacLaurin Building.

On Friday evening, the University of Victoria Orchestra presents Bartok and Barber, with Zsolt Nagy as guest conductor.

Pieces include Ernst von Dohnanyi’s Symphonic Moments; Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Op. 24 featuring UVic Concerto Competition winner Margaret Lingas, voice; Brook, nearer by Julio Lopezhiler, winner of the 2016 UVic Composers’ Competition; and Dvorák’s Carnival Overture, Op. 92.

Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and alumni and $5 for students. Tickets are free for UVic students. The concert runs from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Farquhar Auditorium at the University Centre. Both events are at the University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd.

For information, go to finearts.uvic.ca/music/events.

Learn how to prune, graft fruit trees

Learn the basics of how and when to prune and graft fruit trees from an expert at a Pruning and Grafting Fruit Tree workshop Sunday at Ross Bay Villa.

Winter is the best time to prune fruit trees, as the branches are bare and it’s easier to see what you’re doing. Removal of some growing points invigorates the remaining buds.

Grafting can be used for the reproduction of a desirable fruit tree, to repair injured trees or to have several cultivars to grow from one tree.

Participants will be given hands-on training by Barrie Agar, head gardener at Hatley Park National Historic Site, the 229-hectare heritage garden and grounds surrounding Hatley Castle, which houses Royal Roads University.

Agar will teach people how to properly maintain and propagate old fruit trees.

The cost of the workshop is $20. Reserve your space by email at info@rossbayvilla.org or by leaving a message at 250 598-1803.

The event runs from 1 to 3 p.m. at Ross Bay Villa Historic House Museum, 1490 Fairfield Rd.

For more information, go to rossbayvilla.org.

Cathedral gets the party started with a cello concert

St. Andrew’s Cathedral is inviting Victorians to a concert by the Victoria Cello Quartet on Sunday, the first of a series of year-long special events to celebrate its 125th anniversary.

Festivities throughout the year include special liturgical and cultural events that highlight the architectural beauty, acoustical excellence, historical and spiritual relevance of the cathedral in the Victoria community.

The first concert in the series features the Victoria Cello Quartet playing a concerto for four cellos by G.P. Telemann and a cello repertoire by Mercante, Piazolla, Barber, Bach and others.

Admission to the concert is by donation. It runs 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, 740 View St. For information, go to standrewscathedral.com.