TRANSCRIPT
At Nan Tien Buddhist Temple in Wollongong, celebrations for Lunar New Year are getting underway.
Beginning on February 10, and held over 15-days, the festivities follow the lunar calendar with people travelling from around Australia to take part.
"Happy Lunar New Year!" "Xīnnián kuàilè!" "Navā saal di boh boh mubāraka!" "Happy New Year!"
"Hello everyone, happy new year! And happy year of the dragon! And eat plenty and enjoy."
Lord Mayor of Wollongong Gordon Bradbery, who kicked off the event, told SBS News the festivities are a big part of Australia being a multicultural society.
"Look it highlights the cultural diversity in Australia at the present, from my perspective it enriches us to have different perspectives, different approaches to marking the seasons of life. And more specifically, another opportunity to celebrate and enjoy Asian food as well as the chance to do things a little differently from the European tradition."
Those sentiments echoed by festival attendees.
"It just brings people together. Like you can see today we've got people from all different nationalities and that's good to bring people together."
"It's amazing because so many people have started to recognise the tradition. And it's really fun to see people celebrate it."
"My favourite thing is the same thing that she said."
For many east Asian communities, Lunar New Year is a big moment on the calendar - seen as a chance to start afresh, reflect and spend time with family and loved ones.
Jieh-Yung Lo is the director of the Australian National University Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership.
Mr Lo says traditions, like gathering with family for the Lunar New Year's Eve feast, are a big part of his upbringing as a Chinese-Australian.
"Lunar New Year now is very much diverse, it's inclusive, it's representative of the diverse Asian-Australian community that we have here in Australia, and it's great to see the festival being embraced by non-Asian Australians as well, by other Australians from different backgrounds."
2024 is the year of the dragon, which is considered special as it's the only mythological creature among the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac.
Known to be charismatic and bursting with confidence, those who are born in the year of the dragon are said to have the ability to command their presence in the room.
Mr Lo says many children, including himself, grew up learning the legend of the Chinese Zodiac, told by the ancients.
When it comes to forming the Chinese Zodiac signs, the Jade Emperor - the emperor of heaven in Chinese culture - ordered the gathering of all 12 creatures on Earth and initiated a race between the animals.
Twelve animals answered the call and participated in the race.
"Now, legend says that the dragon apparently was late, didn't get up on time, and came in late into the race, hence why it only made a modest fifth place. You know, when I was a kid growing up, I always got confused why Dragon came in fifth on the calendar, in terms of the order, because being a mythical creature it had vast powers at its disposal. Obviously, it could fly, it could change the weather, so it has a distinct advantage when it comes to getting the attention of its presence in the zodiac signs."
It's also a special year for people who are born under the years of the wood dragon [[1964, 2024]] due to the combined nature of the animal and the element.
"This year for people turning 60, it will be a very special year for them, because it's when you come full circle with your animal sign and your element. So, I guess for all the non-dragons, it's a chance for us to develop an understanding of what the Dragon Year would entail, because it could work for or against you, depending on what your animal sign is, and that's the fun of the Lunar New Year celebration, is learning a bit about that and how your year would shape out based on some of these stories and traditions from the ancients."
While traditions differ across the east Asian diaspora, it's often customary to wear red, make dumplings or give money in red packets or envelopes.
"For me, the family gathering at the Lunar New Year's Eve has always been the biggest event, and then what we try and do is visit other members of the family during the 15 days. We obviously exchange New Year wishes. When we were younger, we had the privilege and benefit of getting red envelopes, which always was a good top-up to our piggy banks, but as you get older, as you get married, you lose that privilege, and you start to pass on that privilege to the younger generation."
Mr Lo, a former Labor councillor, is also making a case for allowing employees to swap out their leave for traditional holidays like Christmas in place of celebrations that are culturally relevant to them, like Lunar New Year.
"I'm in support of the idea of having Lunar New Year as a public holiday, as well as other cultural festivals like Diwali, Eid, Hanukkah… It also allows us to send a very positive message, that we are indeed a multicultural society and a successful multicultural country."
And while Lunar New Year can contribute to broader social cohesion, Dr Shanthi Robertson - an adjunct professor at the University of Western Sydney - says they're not a panacea for the bigger issues.
"Going along once a year to a festival, going to see a dragon boat race or going to go and see some of the decorations that are up around the city, that's not really enough to really build a cohesive, multicultural community. The everyday connection and effort with your friends and your neighbours and your community and the efforts to kind of engage with some of the things that are uncomfortable and that are challenging, that's also really important as well."
