Zipsters celebrate Lunar New Year

In 2025, Lunar New Year begins Wednesday 29 January with the first new moon of the Lunar calendar, and ends on the first full moon of the Lunar calendar 15 days later.

The Lunar New Year is a time for celebration, filled with festivities and food shared with family. The Lunar New year is closely associated with the Chinese Zodiac, with 2025 being the year of the ‘Wood Snake’.

Many Zipsters celebrate Lunar New Year, and in this blog ANZ Zipsters Ellie and Danny share with us what Lunar New Year means to them, how they celebrate and their favourite traditions.

Ellie

I'm Ellie, a Senior Product Marketer at Zip, where I've proudly been part of the team for over three years.

As someone with Vietnamese heritage, Lunar New Year, or Tết Nguyên Đán, is the most significant celebration of the year. It’s a time to reflect, reconnect with loved ones, and honour ancestors, marking a new year of health and prosperity. For over 100 million people across the region, the traditional greeting is Chúc Mừng Năm Mới, meaning Happy New Year.

My favourite Tết traditions are helping my grandparents decorate their house, prepare offerings for our ancestors and visiting the temple on the first day of the new year. We believe that paying respects to Buddha and praying for the wellbeing of loved ones can bring harmony, warmth, and blessings for the year ahead.

This year, I’m thrilled to celebrate Tết with my extended family in Vietnam. Thanks to Zip’s religious leave and flexible work-from-anywhere policies, I can spend more time connecting with my loved ones.

2025 marks the Year of the Wood Snake, symbolising transformation, growth, and introspection. For me, it’s a year to shift from planning to action—a reminder that breakthroughs come when we start. My focus is on consistent improvement: tackling small things with care and doing them better over time.

Danny

My name is Danny Rauv and I am a Talent Acquisition Partner covering all Engineering recruitment at Zip.

As I was growing up, I have distinct memories of Lunar New Year being a time when my family would gather to celebrate New Year over the course of a week! It felt like we merged all the festive celebrations of the entire year into one week long party. It was a precious occasion for us, especially the kids where we could connect with each other and indulge in an abundance of delicious food.

No doubt, my favourite Lunar New Year tradition would be receiving red pockets - it was the best thing you could get growing up! Red pockets or red envelopes are given during Lunar New Year to symbolise good luck, happiness and prosperity. The tradition is a way to pass on blessings, especially to children to ensure good health and wellbeing in the coming year (and they usually have money inside!).

This year, I will seize the opportunity to visit my uncles and aunties throughout the week, indulging in as much food as I can. We prepare a wide range of dishes, including BBQ Pork, spring rolls, dumplings, noodle dishes, fish, and desserts. In 2025, I aim to be more expressive in my personal and professional life. This is about building confidence by facing discomfort and expanding my mental boundaries.

Happy New Year! Or if you’d like to give it a go in Chinese, Gong Xi Fa Cai!