My Family Feast

Mbuyi Tshielantende arrived in Sydney in 2004 on a refugee visa from The Democratic Republic of Congo. He has since been embraced by local Congolese families who have made a similar journey and he is now an integral part of a vibrant Congolese community.

Sean Connolly is invited to the Pacialeo family's annual tomato bottling weekend. The proud patriarch of the family, Uncle Antonio, guides Sean through the elaborate process.

The 5th of April 2009 is Ching Ming, the time of year when Chinese families gather at the cemetery to pay respect to their ancestors. Sean Connolly meets the Yip family who, after visiting the cemetery every year, gather at Eileen & Newman Yip's home.

Sean Connolly meets the Abboud Al-Suhairy family who fled persecution in Iraq to live in Australia. Largely overlooked in history books, Mandaens are a pre-Christian minority religion of ancient Baptists.

Sean Connolly joins Tam and her husband Nam Le for the annual Vietnamese Moon Festival - a day of cooking, feasting and prayer. Their daughters Lan and Mai help their mother prepare dishes for the feast that takes place after they visit their temple.

Sean Connolly meets "The Cubanadas"; a women's group of extended family and friends who left Cuba as a rejection of its political ideology, or through marriage.

A close-knit community of Burmese Kachin immigrants invite Sean Connolly to witness a traditional ceremony and take part in the feast that follows.

Bengali bride Shrabastee and her Punjabi groom Ankit represent the coming together of two traditional Indian families in the heart of Australia. Sean Connolly is invited to their wedding, which culminates in a colourful and opulent vegetarian feast.

Sean Connolly meets Graciela Yoia at the flamenco dance school she has been running for 27 years with her husband Ricardo. The school has become not only a family business, but a community hub through which they have formed many close friendships.

It's St. George's Day and George Gavalas is celebrating his name day with family and friends, Greek style. George and his wife Angela are part of an extended family of Greek Australians.

Dr. Rahman Shinwari and his wife Dr. Arian are Pashtuns who moved to Australia during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Sean Connolly joins them as they prepare for Eid al-Adha, an annual Islamic festival of feasting.

Stana and Micho Kolundzija are Serbians who moved to Australia on a whim over 40 years ago and they have raised their family of daughters in the Sydney suburb of Mascot. Sean Connolly joins them to celebrate Stana's 66th birthday.

Every year the Balinese Community of NSW get together to celebrate Galungan - a cultural and religious holiday that marks the beginning of the most important religious ceremony in Bali. Galungan occurs every 210 days and lasts for 10 days.