General News
18 January, 2022
Horsham community celebrates Karen New Years
Horsham community leaders rejoice and talk about the importance of Karen New Years.
MEMBERS of the Horsham Karen community recently came together to celebrate Karen New Years.
Karen people around the world rejoice with traditional dance, food, sports and other activities for their 2761st year on January 2.
The celebrations take place in either the last week of December or the first week of January, depending on the year.
Horsham Karen community member and event organiser Htoo Kaw Jah said celebrating the Karen New Year was his community's way of instilling Karen tradition for future generations.
“Karen New Years is an opportunity for families of the Karen people to come together once a year and enjoy each other's company,” he said.
“The reason why we celebrate Karen New Years in Australia is so we can preserve the Karen tradition and culture and pass it down to our children.”
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Mr Jah has been living in Horsham for 10 years and said he moved to Horsham because he enjoyed living in the country and near a river, having grown up next to the Moei River in Myanmar.
New Horsham resident K’lu Sav Sav said that Karen New Years brought back memories of her childhood growing up in Thailand.
“We would celebrate Karen New Years in the Mae La refugee camp which is where I lived with my family for about nine years,” she said.
“Everything shuts in Thailand during Karen New Years … traditional Karen dance competitions will take place and there will be major sport events like caneball.
“One memory I have as a child during Karen New Years is playing a game where we would have to look for a hidden object like a toy or a snack.
“Back then we were really poor, we didn’t have much; so we would have activities such as the hide-and-search game organised for us.”
Mr Jah and Ms Sav were two of the volunteer organisers for a Horsham Town Hall Karen New Year's event, which was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The event would have provided a variety of traditional Karen foods as well as featured a Karen Doe Dance and a bamboo-and-stick dance.
Horsham Rural City Council mayor Robyn Gulline said Horsham was a stronger and culturally richer community with its Karen people.
“Our community is so much richer from the contributions of our migrant population. Migrants bring different foods, cultures, lived experiences and perspectives that enhance the fabric of our society,” she said.
“It is very disappointing that the Karen New Year celebrations have been cancelled as it would have been a wonderful opportunity for others in our community to share in these special celebrations.
“The Karen people are filling important jobs in our region and are active participants in all aspects of our community.
“With so many unfilled jobs available, we welcome and encourage new residents to come and live in the Wimmera and enjoy the benefits our region has to offer.”
Wimmera Development Association project manager Sara Barron said Karen Year News was an ideal means of bringing communities together.
“The settlement of Karen refugees in Horsham and Nhill have contributed enormously to the region; both economically and culturally,” she said.
“The Karen New Year celebrations also provide a valuable opportunity for the wider Wimmera community to connect with and understand more of the Karen culture, history, journey to the Wimmera and importance of their settlement in this region.
“The Karen New Year was first celebrated in Horsham in 2019. The plan has always been to alternate these celebrations bi-annually with the Karen New Year celebrations in Nhill, and Cultural Diversity Week celebrations in Horsham.
“WDA Settlement Services will work alongside the Karen community to host a wonderful Karen New Year celebrations in Horsham next year, hopefully in more settled times.”
