Guo Nian Hao - Happy Lunar New Year

Sarah Wang, a Clinical Costing Analyst from our Far West Local Health District, may be a long way from her home in China but that only further ignites her Lunar New Year celebration here.

I came to Australia from the fourth largest city in the north-eastern part of China and have been working in Broken Hill with Far West Local Health District as a Clinical Costing Analyst for more than 10 years.

I haven't been able to go back to China to celebrate Lunar New Year with my family for three years. I miss the festival spirit, colourful decorations, fireworks show and traditional dance, catching up with family and friends, and the mouth-watering festival treats.

But I'm glad I work for an organisation that recognises multiculturalism and employs people from different cultural backgrounds. It makes me feel connected – even if I am a migrant – and empowers me to celebrate traditions that are important to my culture like Lunar New Year.

To celebrate, I usually cook some traditional New Year's Eve dishes (normally nine meals which means forever) to give blessings for the next year. Both the names and looks of the dishes are symbols of wishes for prosperity, happiness and auspiciousness.

• Dumplings: in Chinese, dumplings 饺子 (jiǎo zi) sounds like 交子 (jiāo zi). 交 (Jiāo) means exchange and 子 (zi) is the midnight hour. Put together, jiāo zi is the exchange between the old and new year. All dumplings should be wrapped at this time. By eating dumplings, you are sending away the old and welcoming in the new.
• Fish: fish is a must for the Chinese New Year which symbolises surplus and wealth. It has to be a whole fish, as half of the fish will be eaten for dinner and the second half on the new year's day. This is to prolong the surplus and make the future prosperous as well. A whole fish also represents a harmonious and whole family.
• Chicken: chicken represents reunion and rebirth.
• Pig trotters: this is supposed to help to grasp onto wealth.

Wearing new clothes from head to toe symbolises a new start and fresh hopes for the new year. It's usually 40 degrees in Broken Hill so I only need a new dress and a pair of new shoes, which is much easier than dressing myself for below 30 degrees weather at home in China.

I encourage anyone who'd like to celebrate Lunar New Year to go to Chinatown to join the dragon dancing celebrations or enjoy some Chinese food to experience the festival spirit. I cook a traditional Chinese banquet for my Australian family and friends and it's a good way to share the experience with them.

Guo Nian Hao! (Happy Lunar New Year!)