For many, Lunar New Year is a time for the most important family gatherings of the year, but I haven't been able to share a meal with my parents in China since 2019.
I live in Ballarat in Victoria, but my parents and extended family live in a town in Inner Mongolia, where I grew up.
This year though, I'm determined not to let the pandemic again ruin the two most important parts of our celebrations: family reunion and good food.
So, I've planned a virtual dinner with my family for Lunar New Year's Eve tonight.
We also shared our first virtual meal together as part of the holiday celebrations, which started last week.
I made spicy pork, a tofu salad and stir-fried veggies with potato, capsicum, and eggplant.
During dinner I told my mum, dad, aunt, uncle and cousins how much I missed them.
I also told them I hoped the pandemic would end soon so we could get together in person.
Virtual dinners are not an ideal way to celebrate, but they are a relief from the constant homesickness I feel during such a special time.
I would love to visit home but China's strict pandemic control measures (including 21-day hotel quarantine), a lack of flights between China and Australia, and my working visa conditions make it difficult and too expensive.
Return flights cost between $6,000 and $8,000, and hotel quarantine costs about $2,100.
Many Chinese people in Australia have similar considerations, so they too are embracing virtual celebrations to usher in the Year of the Tiger.
Family holds virtual celebration for third time
For Hannah Liu, who also lives in Ballarat, it's the third year she has celebrated the Lunar New Year virtually.
"My parents and in-laws would come to Australia in turns each year before the pandemic, so basically, every Lunar New Year the kids would have grandparents [here]," Ms Liu said.
"They would cook a lot of delicious food and we would invite friends over."
Her two sons, Louis and Lance, would put on traditional clothing and wish their grandparents a happy new year in Mandarin.
The grandparents would give the boys red packets — gifts of cash usually handed to children in red envelopes.
But, due to COVID, all of these moments will again happen via a video call.
"We use … [the] red packet function on WeChat while video chatting," Ms Liu said.
"The kids will say 'bring the red packet!' and the grandparents will send [them virtually].
"The boys [are] very happy to click the red packet icon."
Ms Liu said the boys' grandparents — her parents — miss their grandkids terribly.
"They haven't seen them for years, and the kids are growing very fast," she said.
"Lunar New Year is all about the reunion with family, it's a fresh new start.
"It means forgetting the bad things, the unhappiness of the past year, and welcoming a whole new year with a full spirit."
Lunar New Year events cancelled
For the first time, no Lunar New Year events will be held in Melbourne's Chinatown, according to Eng Lim, vice-president of Melbourne's Chinatown Precinct Association.
Ms Lim said she was disappointed, but cancelling the events was the right decision because of the health risks involved in large public gatherings.
In other parts of Melbourne, public celebrations in Box Hill have been postponed until mid-year while activities in Glen Waverley have been cancelled.
At this stage, festivities in Sydney are going ahead.
Most of the celebrations in Brisbane will also go ahead, including the annual BriAsia festival, but one of the events organised by the local Vietnamese community has been cancelled.
The national Chinese Precinct Chamber of Commerce is planning to hold some events across the country, but president Wayne Tseng said they were also prepared to move the celebrations online and host a live-streamed gala.
"We will still be able to share those celebrations and bring the spirit into people's homes," Mr Tseng said.
Born in Vietnam, Mr Tseng said he wanted the celebrations for this Lunar New Year to be exciting and inclusive.
"We have performances from Chinese minority groups and also other Asian cultures as well, like Malaysian, Thai.
"Chinese New Year has always been an important [event] on the Asian calendar.
Two of the performers taking part in the chamber's events this year are dancers Ann Ruan and Grace Wu.
Ms Wu, from Melbourne, performed an umbrella dance last year but this year is planning something new.
"We've bought more new props we can use in our performances," she said.
Traditional Chinese instrument pipa musician Jessica Li said she was also trying to be more creative this year.
"I probably will collaborate with an African band because we try to make music a universal language," she said.
Mr Tseng said despite the disruptions of COVID, the meaning of the celebration was unchanged.
"It is important because of that stocktake of what has happened the previous year, and ushering in a new opening, new hope and new opportunities for the new year."
