At a barber shop in Melbourne's CBD, lines are flowing out of the door.
"As they prepare for Lunar New Year, they are ready for haircut, perm, colouring, everything," barber shop owner Joey says.
In many Asian cultures, it is considered bad luck if you change your hair in the first month on the Lunar calendar, so the rush is on.
Trinita Chen, an Indonesian with Chinese descent, is one of those following a series of traditions for the Lunar New Year.
But she said celebrating in Melbourne was a little different compared to her home country.
"Because the Lunar New Year is a public holiday [in Indonesia], we can enjoy the atmosphere more," she told the ABC.
Today marks the first day of the new year on the lunar calendar and the start of the year of the rat, which represents hard work and thriftiness.
The milestone is marked by millions of Chinese and people of Chinese descent across the globe.
Ms Chen, who has been living in Melbourne for three years, said work and her busy schedule meant she would be celebrating in a simpler way this year.
However, the important rituals in her family — having dinner together on New Year's Eve and praying at the temple at midnight — were not to be missed.
Other traditions inherited from her parents, such as cleaning the house before the new year, would also be followed.
"Cleaning the house means cleansing our souls as we prepare to welcome a new year," Ms Chen said.
As for dinner, there was certain food she said "must be served", including noodles that symbolise longevity and oranges for prosperity.
Traditional cake of "Nian Gao" or "Ti Kwe", which has a sticky texture, serves as a reminder that relationships between family members should remain tight.
One of the main dishes she prepared for dinner was fish.
"Fish in Mandarin is 'Yu', and in Chinese proverbs there is a term 'nian nian you yu', which means sustenance increases every year," Ms Chen said.
She also made traditional cupcakes called "Fa Gao" or "Huat Kwe" that symbolise blooming fortune and form part of a prayer offering.
"These cupcakes do not pop easily. So usually if they pop, it means that what we sow in the new year will be blooming, our hard work and efforts will pay off and be successful," Ms Chen said.
Along with the must dos, Ms Chen said there were several things that shouldn't be done on New Year's Day, such as washing and trimming hair.
Cleaning the house should also be avoided, as it may take luck away from the family.
"It is forbidden to sweep on the Chinese New Year because it means sweeping out the new year's prosperity."
Regardless of the dos and don'ts, Ms Chen said getting together with loved ones was the main point of celebrating the Lunar New Year.
"Chinese New Year is about kinship and togetherness, as well as the start of a new hope," she said.
"On this day I also introspect myself so I will be ready to welcome the new year with new hopes."
Chinese dancer found sense of belonging in LNY celebration
In a dance studio at Box Hill, east of Melbourne, Eva Zhang is getting ready for her own celebrations, busy rehearsing in a whirl of colour.
As a Chinese folk dance teacher and choreographer, Ms Zhang performs during almost every Chinese New Year.
In 2008, she came to Australia to study after having worked as a professional dancer in China.
"It was the night before the Chinese New Year's Eve, "she said.
"I was very lonely, because in China the sense of Chinese New Year celebration was very strong, but when I first arrived in Australia, I felt homesick."
Ms Zhang said there wasn't much celebration at the time in Australia but now it goes far beyond the Chinese community.
"Melbourne is a multicultural city. It welcomes and supports traditional celebrations from many cultural backgrounds," she said.
"Especially for Chinese New Year, we were given a lot of platforms and support in celebration so that we can introduce the traditional Chinese culture to a broader community."
This year, Ms Zhang will help to choreograph new dances for community members to perform on stage while spreading her love of traditional Chinese dance.
"I wouldn't be able to be with my family for a few hours [this Lunar New Year's Eve], but my family will still prepare the 'reunion dinner' at home and wait for me till I finished my performance," she said.
"After a cycle of 12 years, I found my life has changed dramatically. I have all the people I love and care for next to me and feel very warm and happy."
As a mother of a young son, Ms Zhang also wants to pass down her cultural heritage and traditions to him.
"Chinese culture is extensive and profound, with a history of 5,000 years. In fact, what I can pass down to him is day-to-day cultural practice."
Chinese-Australian who is eager to pick up her lost heritage
Australian travel writer Jasmine Sue is a second generation overseas Chinese descendant.
Her grandparents fled Mao's China and moved to Fiji in the 1950s, and her parents were born and raised in Fiji and migrated to Brisbane in the 1980s.
For Ms Sue, Chinese New Year is always a big eating occasion.
"We would go out for dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve and often there would be lion dancers, firecrackers, and obviously lots of food," she told the ABC.
"Having grown up in Australia, I've had the blessing of being raised amongst two different cultures — being raised as an Australian but also remembering my Chinese roots.
"My grandmother did call my mother just to reminder her … not to sweep the house or wash our hair, all those superstitions associated with Lunar New Year."
Despite having a traditional Chinese grandmother, Ms Sue said many traditions and customs were not preserved in her family.
"Given that my parents did immigrate to the country, they did choose to adopt and assimilate many of the customs here in Australia," she said.
"Many of the traditions and customs were not passed down to me and my brothers.
"But I would like to think that some of those traditions have been instilled in myself and I would very much like to pass some of those traditions down to my own children."