AN HOUR before the Chinese new year parade began in Sydney last night a group of schoolgirls from Guangxi province were stealing one another's hats and bopping to the beat coming from the floats.

The girls were flown in to share one of the world's oldest instruments, the three-stringed tianqin, with a young city. They are among the newest adherents of the ancient instrument.

This year's parade, which attracted more than 100,000 spectators, began for the first time at twilight to give full effect to the traditional lanterns.

Crowds were lined up to 10 deep to watch floats carrying giant creatures - a horse, a snake, a dragon, a tiger - lit up from the inside.

"We can do a lot with lanterns and light," said the creative director of the City of Sydney, Gillian Minervini. "It's a lot more spectacular show."

There were pumpkin-shaped lanterns, coloured lanterns, sausage-shaped lanterns, a house made up of red lanterns on the back of a float and people riding bicycles with lanterns on their heads.

The Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said it was the fastest growing festival in Sydney; there were 200 spectators when it began 10 years ago. It is also the largest annual lunar festival outside Asia.

The Year of the Ox is supposed to be one of patience and prosperity through hard work.

Harriet Alexander