The date of the Lunar New Year varies each year from late January to late February, with new year’s eve falling on the first new moon of the new year.
The tradition of welcoming the Lunar New Year dates back to the time of Chinese Emperor Huang Li in 2600BC.
Like the Western calendar, the Chinese lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon.
Because of this cyclical dating, the beginning of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February.
A complete lunar cycle takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each.
In China, Lunar New Year celebrations see the return home of millions of Chinese who migrated to the cities, triggering one of the largest movements of people in the world.
And while the movement of people isn't so dramatic in Australia, the Lunar New Year is still a time of celebration across the country.
Austin Chin is a third-generation Australian of Chinese heritage and the President of the Chung Wah Society in Darwin, a social club for Chinese-Australians.
“We celebrate it very traditionally. Chinese New Year to the Chinese is all about spending time with family and friends. So getting together and catching up with people you have not seen for a while," he said.
For Mr Chin, it’s also about the food.
“You have lots of noodles because that signifies long life. Chinese new year's day itself we don't eat any meat, we eat Chinese new year dumplings and that sort of thing.”
Darwin is home to an established community that dates back to the late 1800s.
Lion Dance Group Darwin - Chung Wah Society Darwin Source: iChung Wah Society Darwin
Mr Chin said Chinese people arrived in Darwin in 1874 as indentured labourers - and faced many difficulties including discrimination under the White Australia Policy.
For Mr Chin celebrating the Lunar New Year remains an important part of his life and he is also a firm believer in the Chinese zodiac.
“You know just because someone is a dragon or an ox or whatever does not mean they are all the same," he said. "And the time of the day you are born also influences it. I could probably look at someone's personality and guess within three guesses which animal sign they are.”
People born in the year of the pig are said to be easygoing and honest, but can also be naive and self-indulgent.
People from Thai, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian backgrounds are among others who celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In Fairfield City Council in Sydney, 21 per cent of the population is of Vietnamese origin.
In Vietnam, the Lunar New Year is known as Tet and Fairfield's large Vietnamese community also have their own celebrations.
The Mai tree is an integral part of Vietnamese festivities, with decorations hung on the tree to symbolise the hope of a new year.
Family time
Mayor Frank Carbone is the mayor of Fairfield City Council he said it's a good time for people to visit areas with large Asian communities.
“Of course we have Chinese, we have Vietnamese, we have Cambodian, we have Laotian, we also have a lot of European communities here," he said.
"There is a spring in everyone's step as far as the communities from south-east Asian countries. It's wonderful.
"There is a lot more shopping, a lot of the communities are buying more food, because in their tradition they bring in the new year with new food in their homes and you can really see a festive appearance in our local streets.”
Victoria - where Mandarin is now the most widely spoken language after English - has also seen an increase in Lunar New Year celebrations.
Kee Saw is the Chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Victoria.
He said at this time one of the favourite rituals around the world is the giving of red envelopes with money to children and unmarried people with the colour red is believed to ward off bad spirits and symbolise good luck.
“It's definitely new years eve where everyone comes together and has a reunion dinner, where the best food is served and the kids are happy because they get a red packet from the married adults.”
Each new year is represented by a different animal and there are 12 animals making up the Chinese zodiac, one for each of the 12 years in the lunar cycle.
Legend has it the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from Earth but only 12 animals came.
Buddha honoured each of them with a year, in order of their arrival: first, the Rat, then Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar.
Wayne Tseng is the President of the Chinese Precinct General Chamber of Commerce.
He and his team have put together a hybrid version of the Chinese zodiac incorporating Australian animals, this year linking the pig with the Echidna.
“The animals in the Chinese zodiac reflect the animals that are found in Asia. So obviously we can find the equivalent personality in our local native animals in Australia and try to match them, not exactly but as close as possible.”
Source: Chinese Precinct Chamber of Commerce
Lunar New Year is also means more international tourists especially from Asia.
Tourism Australia managing director John O'Sullivan said their contribution to the economy at this time of year is significant.
“Chinese travellers to Australia contribute in excess of 10-11 billion-dollars. If you just did a straight swap and said about a quarter of your traffic comes during that period of time, directly attributable to Lunar New Year, the maths on that is close to about three-billion-dollars. It's a pretty significant part of our visitor year.”
