TRANSCRIPT
"Happy New Year" (spoken in Korean, Cantonese and Vietnamese)
A Happy New Year ... spoken in Korean, Cantonese and Vietnamese.
Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, is celebrated globally.
Projections estimate upwards of one billion people recognise the occasion each year.
While the Gregorian calendar - based on Earth's orbit around the sun - is more commonly used worldwide, lunar calendars mark important holidays in many Asian cultures, with Lunar New Year one of the biggest.
It starts with the second new moon of the lunar calendar, which tends to fall in late January or early February, and celebrations can last up to 15 days to the full moon.
The holiday is often associated with China but it's also widely celebrated in countries such as Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and Japan - to name a few.
While many Australians associate Lunar New Year with red envelopes and lion dancing, executive producer of SBS Korean, Leah Hyein Na, says each culture has its own unique traditions.
"For the Korean community, red is not a special colour to celebrate Lunar New Year. Just like when you see our traditional clothing Hanbok, we embrace all sort of different colours - pink, green, blue, even black colours."
The Korean Zodiac is often linked to a specific colour with 2025 the Year of the Blue Snake.
As for food, people often eat rice cake soup, or Tteokguk.
In Vietnam, Trinh Nguyen, a producer for SBS Vietnamese, says Lunar New Year, or Tet, is a public holiday.
"It's the most important celebration in my country. So, pretty much the same with what people in Australia do to celebrate Christmas, we can see Lunar New Year everywhere."
In southern Vietnam, the blooming of the yellow mai, or ochna flower in Spring, coincides with Lunar New Year, representing luck, wealth and happiness.
In the north, pink peach blossoms are displayed as symbols of rebirth and success.
The main foods associated with Lunar New Year are sour melon soup and pork, as well as mango and other fruits.
The shapes of Vietnamese traditional cakes differ too - square in the north and cylindrical in the south.
Ms Nguyen says the Vietnamese Zodiac also includes a cat instead of a rabbit, and a buffalo instead of an ox.
"Down to the details, it will be different. But the spirit, the atmosphere, the way we celebrate, they are the same."
In much of Hong Kong, the occasion is marked by a week-long holiday with large celebrations in Victoria Park while families feast on abalone, chicken and seafood dishes.
Ivan Leung is a producer for SBS Cantonese.
He says it's a busy time of year.
"It is Christmas on steroids... I have four uncles so that means that for my Lunar New Year I have to visit them one by one, so that means already four nights of different meals."
Professor Xiaohuan studies Chinese culture at the University of Sydney.
He says many Lunar New Year dishes are symbolic.
For example, in mainland China, dumplings, shaped like traditional Chinese money are hoped to bring fortune and wealth.
"One of the most important parts of the celebration is the family reunion dinner... The whole family will sit down on the eve of New Year's Day to enjoy a big meal."
Other traditions include lighting fireworks and gifting money from older to younger family members before festivities wrap up with the lantern festival.
In Chinese and Vietnamese cultures, money is placed in red envelopes.
Ms Na says the tradition differs slightly in Korea.
"Actually for the Korean community, we don't give red pockets. Instead of that, we give cash so you can see how much you will get right away."
Further south, Buddhist communities in countries including Nepal, India, Bhutan and Tibet, celebrate their own lunar new year.
Known as Lhosar, different communities will mark the holiday using distinct lunar calendars, though celebrations often coincide with those in East Asia.
Those communities include: the Gurung community which marks Tamu Lhosar, the Tamang community which marks Sonam Lhosar, and the Sherpa community which marks Gyalpo Lhosar.
Like in East Asia, each year is represented by a zodiac animal, though these differ slightly in some communities, including a cow, cat, eagle and deer.
Dil Tamang is one of the founding members of the Tamang Society of Sydney - NSW.
He says in his community, Lhosar celebrations usually begin with a cleanse before friends and family gather to enjoy traditional music and dance, and share a meal, including a popular deep-fried pastry called Khapse.
"First thing in the morning we make sure our house is clean and make sure every corner of the house gets incensed. So we just invite our priest, Lama Guru, from the early morning, then we put flags around the house, do some worship, do some chanting, and honour our ancestors."
As for those in Australia, preparations are well underway, with celebrations in Sydney said to be some of the largest outside Asia.
