Growing up, celebrating CNY was a central part of my identity. Being half Australian meant that sometimes I wasnt always viewed as “Chinese enough”. I’m what you might call a “banana” – I cant speak Mandarin, or very much of my Hokkien dialect outside of “chia pah liao?” (Have you eaten yet? – the Hokkien variant of How are you?). I dont look 100% Chinese and now that I’m a Muslim in a hijab, perhaps even less so. So, to celebrate CNY meant I was affirming a part of who I am.