For Chinese-Australian Wayne Tseng, Lunar New Year is about celebrating the values of unity and family.
But that’s been made a little more difficult this year with coronavirus travel and gathering restrictions.
“My two other brothers live in separate cities and we usually congregate together with my parents. That this year will not likely be the case,” he told SBS News.
Last year, the full force COVID-19 restrictions had yet to come into effect and many people in Australia were able to mark Lunar New Year without too much change.
But in 2021 many are improvising, with events scaled down, shifted entirely online or cancelled altogether.
Mr Tseng, the president of the Chinese Precinct Chamber of Commerce, said using video conferencing tools will be important in connecting families in different locations.
Additionally, treasure hunts are being set up to encourage people to visit businesses in dispersed groups, roving live entertainment will help prevent large crowds, people are being encouraged to decorate their households using Lunar New Year symbols, and live-streamed events will help performers reach a wider audience.
“Even with COVID we can still perform, we can still celebrate,” Mr Tseng said. “This year’s theme is resilience and our slogan is: ‘No bug can stop this dragon’.
“We still want to have celebrations connecting communities together.”
‘A little bit different’
Melbourne’s Vietnamese community is also trying something new.
Youth leaders were tasked with moving the entire Tet Festival online, with celebrations now running over two days as an online event, featuring family and community activities filmed ahead of time.
The vice-president of the Victorian chapter of the Vietnamese Community of Australia, Andrew Do, said it took some work to translate the in-person experience to an online format.
“We’re trying to capture the essence and the feel of what it would be like to come to one of our festivals,” he said.
“The food, the activities, learning about Vietnamese culture, and our heritage and our traditions: all of that will be captured and broadcast online, so that people can enjoy it from the safety of their homes.”
After a 112-day lockdown in Melbourne last year, Mr Do says he is grateful the household gathering limit has now been relaxed, allowing more family and friends to mark Lunar New Year together.
“It is a little bit different this year and requires a bit more planning, but we’re still happy that we’re able to go around and visit each other and celebrate the New Year with friends and family.”
After the pandemic shut down live entertainment in 2020, Chinese-Australian comedian Jennifer Wong is returning to the stage as part of Lunar New Year events in the Sydney suburb of Chatswood, which is home to a sizeable Chinese community.
In her performance, she says she will be exploring Lunar New Year traditions and superstitions.
“Certainly, the traditions that are the oddest, things like: don’t wash your hair on the first day of the year; make sure you wash it the day before, because if you wash it on the first day of the year, you’ll wash all your luck away.”
COVID precautions
The City of Willoughby, the local government area that includes Chatswood, is among many across the country that have worked to make sure events are COVID-safe.
“Throughout February, we have got various events attracting different people into the city. We’ve got around 25 per cent of our population who are Chinese in origin, so you can imagine that they really value these New Year activities,” mayor Gail Giles-Gidney said.
“We really wanted to make sure that we have got the ability to provide some joy, a bit of light into peoples’ lives. But we also want to make sure that they’re safe too.”
Some events in Perth were put on hold amid a five-day lockdown, after a security guard working in hotel quarantine tested positive for COVID-19.
In Tasmania, despite zero active coronavirus cases in the state, event organisers have decided for the first time in eight years to cancel Hobart’s popular Lunar New Year festival.
Chinese Community Association of Tasmania president Brian Chung said it was a difficult decision to make.
“This year because of COVID and the restrictions on social distancing and all the other rules and regulations … we’ve agonised over the decision – and finally decided that we really can’t have a festival this year,” he said.
Mr Chung said he is looking forward to bringing the event bigger and better next year.
‘A theme of hope’
The date of the Lunar New Year varies each year from late January to late February, with the celebration falling on the first new moon of the new year.
The holiday is traditionally celebrated by people from Chinese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian backgrounds.
2021 is the Year of the Ox.
Ms Wong said she draws strength from the idea of the ox and its associated characteristics of stability and reliability.
“These things are obviously not hard science. But I do think it is nice to go into a new year with those intentions of hoping for something that is going to bring a bit more stability to so many people who are at the moment experiencing very vulnerable moments,” she said.
Mr Do said he is also inspired by the attributes of the Ox.
“It wasn’t easy, 2020. But I think the ox, being an animal that is very strong, very grounded with lots of hard work and positivity … I think they’re excellent values for all of us to bring on into the new year,” he said.
Mr Tseng said people are looking for hope in 2021.
“Lunar New Year always tries to give people a theme of hope,” he said.
“Resilience has very much been a core part of it. What it comes down to is everyday families thinking about preparing for worst, planning for the best, and being on the lookout for your families and friends.”
Lunar New Year falls on 12 February 2021, with events and celebrations across Australia being held in the days before and after.
Australians are also invited to mark Lunar New Year celebrations with a curated content line-up across the SBS network.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus
Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania
