Tourists wait to board a train at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to return home for Chinese Lunar New Year holiday in Shanghai on Jan 25, 2025. Photo by CFOTO/ Future Publishing via Getty Images. Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year or Spring Festival 2025 falls on Wednesday, January 29th, 2025. Snake is the new year animal. Learn more about Chinese Lunar New Year traditions, taboos, food, zodiac signs, and greetings. Pre-Chinese New Year Preparations and Activities (Jan. 7–Feb. 12, 2025) Jan. 7, 2025: Laba Festival. Some Chinese start to celebrate and prepare for Chinese New Year as early as day 8 of the 12 th month of the lunar calendar. This is a festival called Laba ( 腊八 Làbā /laa-baa/ '12th lunar month' + '8'), in the traditional sense, which It is the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese zodiac, which features a 12-year cycle with each year represented by a specific animal. People born in the Years of the Snake including 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, and 2025 will experience their Zodiac Year of Birth (Ben Ming Nian). 2026 Chinese New Year falls on Feb. 17th and it is Simply put, Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year are not the same. Despite being related, there are a few noteworthy differences between the two. Read on to find out what they are. The Differences between Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year 1. "Chinese New Year" is specific while "Lunar New Year" is more general. Just like New Year according to the Gregorian calendar (January 1), Lunar New Year celebrations start on the night before the first day of the new year. ( Note: China follows the Gregorian calendar for daily business but still follows the Chinese calendar for important festivals, auspicious dates for events such as weddings, and the Moon phases.) Since the mid-1990s people in China have been given seven consecutive days off work during the Chinese New Year. This week of relaxation has been designated Spring Festival, a term that is sometimes used to refer to the Chinese New Year in general. The origins of the Chinese New Year are steeped in legend. One legend is that thousands of years Lunar New Year’s Eve: The Reunion Dinner. At the heart of Lunar New Year celebrations is the reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on January 28, 2025. A traditional reunion dinner has many dishes, including steamed or fried fish, rice cakes and balls, noodles and dumplings. Celebrating the Chinese New Year. In Chinese-speaking countries, the Spring Festival (春节 chūn jié) is a general term used to refer to the festival season.This term is likely to replace the English phrase ‘Chinese New Year’ soon, given UNESCO’s recent decision to include chūn jié in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. For Chinese people, Lunar New Year is the Spring Festival, Before midnight on New Year’s Day, hair salons are abuzz with revelers, wishing to cut away last year’s bad luck and walk out Why does Chinese New Year fall on different dates? Rather than following the western Gregorian Calendar with 365-day years, the Chinese New Year follows a lunar calendar based the moon's 12 phases Comprehensive guide to Chinese New Year 2025 celebrations, traditions, and customs. Learn about the Year of the Snake, festival dates, zodiac predictions, and cultural activities. Discover everything about Chinese New Year 2024, including dates, zodiac animals, traditions, customs, and celebrations. Chinese New Year marks the transition between zodiac signs: 2025 is the Year of the Snake; 2024 the Year of the Dragon. Advertisement. 2025 Guide. If you were born between the Chinese Lunar New Year (the first day of the first Chinese lunar month which usually falls during 21 January and February 20 in Gregorian calendar) and Lichun (the Beginning of Spring which usually falls on February 4 or February 5 in Gregorian calendar), you may belong to the zodiac sign of the last year. They might spend their Chinese New Year's Eve in a foreign country to experience different styles of Chinese New Year. The current population of China is more than 1.41 billion at the end of 2018. Overseas Chinese have at least 50 million. That means more than Chinese 1.46 billion will celebrate the Chinese New Year around the world. Because the dates of Chinese New Year change every year, individuals born in January or February will need to pay special attention to their birth date in addition to their birth year. Chinese Zodiac Calculator. If you don’t know your Chinese zodiac use our calculator below to quickly find your animal sign by entering your birthday, and be The last Year of the Snake happened in 2013. Why is it the year of the snake? 2025 is the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese zodiac calendar, a 12-year cycle represented by animals. The Chinese zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang, features 12 animal signs in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. 2025 is the Year of the Snake according to Chinese zodiac, starting from the 2025 Chinese New Year on Jan. 29th and lasting to 2026 Lunar New Year's Eve on Feb. 16. 2026 is the Year of the Horse. Chinese New Year's Eve and the first 3 days of Chinese New Year; will be made up on subsequent working days if any of the 4 days fall on Saturday or Sunday. The day before Chinese New Year's Eve is also designated as holiday, but as a bridge holiday, and will be made up on an earlier or later Saturday. 5. 年花 (New Year Flowers) Symbolism: New Year flowers such as 桃花 (peach blossoms), 富贵竹 (lucky bamboo), and 桔子树 (tangerine trees) represent growth, prosperity, and good luck. Each flower carries its own specific auspicious meaning. Application: These flowers are used to decorate homes and offices during Chinese New Year. For
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