The official usage of the name "Spring Festival" was retained by the government of the People's Republic of China, but the government of the Republic of China based in Taiwan has since adopted the name "Traditional Chinese New Year". [19] Chinese New Year, alternatively referred to as the Spring Festival, is also commonly called the Lunar New Year – an inclusive name reflecting that many countries, not just China, recognize the This year, Lunar New Year begins Jan. 29. Because the lunar calendar is based on the phases of the moon, the beginning of the year happens on a different day each year. In the United States of America, "Lunar New Year" is strongly associated with Chinese Americans and "Chinese New Year" is commonly used as a translation by people of non-Chinese backgrounds. [ 4 ] [ 8 ] Chinese New Year is the official name of the celebration and holiday in some countries such as Singapore , [ 9 ] Brunei , [ 10 ] and Malaysia For Chinese people, Lunar New Year is the Spring Festival, and it’s celebrated widely in Taiwan and across Southeast Asia in countries with large Chinese populations, such as Singapore and Malaysia. The Chinese New Year of 2025 falls on January 29th (Wednesday), and will last to February 2nd. It is the Year of Snake. As an official public holiday, Chinese people can get eight days' off from work, from January 28th to February 4th. The Chinese New Year of 2026 falls on February 17th (Tuesday), and will last to February 21th. It is the Year Lunar New Year, festival typically celebrated in China and other Asian countries that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later. The dates of the holiday vary from year to year, beginning some time between January 21 and February 20. In 1912, the government decided to abolish Chinese New Year and the lunar calendar, but adopted the Gregorian calendar instead and made January 1 the official start of the new year. After 1949, Chinese New Year was renamed to the Spring Festival. It was listed as a nationwide public holiday. Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China. Tied to the Chinese lunar calendar, it begins on the new moon that appears between January 21 and February 20. official Lunar New Year Lunar New Year may be called different names in different East Asian countries and communities, but it is celebrated on the same date (and surrounding days) with similar celebrations. China. In China, Lunar New Year is known as Chinese New Year or in Chinese 'Spring Festival' (Chunjie). The celebrations traditionally last for 16 days, beginning The Lunar New Year 2025, also known as Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, starts on January 29, aligning with the first New Moon of the lunisolar calendar. This widely celebrated event welcomes the Year of the Snake, the sixth sign in the Chinese zodiac, symbolizing wisdom, transformation, and intuition. Chinese zodiac: Year of the Snake 2025 Each Chinese lunar year has a Chinese zodiac sign animal. The Chinese zodiac year's stsarting date is a little different from the Gregorian year. It starts from Chinese New Year. The Chinese zodiac years chart below is provided to help you find out the exact starting and ending dates of the Chinese zodiac years. (This is especially useful for Chinese New Years Eve: 春节: Chūnjié: Chinese New Year; Spring Festival: 春节快乐! Chūnjié kuàilè! Happy Spring Festival! 新年快乐! Xīnnián kuàilè! Happy New Year! 大吉大利! dàjídàlì! Wishing you great prosperity! 恭喜发财: gōngxǐ fācái: May you have a prosperous new year: 鼠年大吉: shǔnián dàjí 1. 新年好 – ‘Happy New Year Chinese New Year’ In Chinese Mandarin: xīn nián hǎo /sshin-nyen haoww/ 2. Happy New Year – ‘Joyeux Nouvel an chinois’ In Mandarin Chinese: xīn nián kuài lè /sshin-nyen kwhy-ler/ 3. Gong Xi Fa Cai – ‘Réussite et prospérité’ In Mandarin Chinese: gong xǐ fā cái /gong-sshee faa-tseye/ 4. China has seven legal holidays in a year, including New Year's Day, Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), Qingming Festival (Tomb-sweeping Day), May Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Day and National Day. Chinese people enjoy 13 days off in total for these official holidays. Why is the celebration also called "Guo Nian"? "Nian”is the Chinese word for year. In folk culture, the Spring Festival celebration is also called “Guo Nian” (meaning “passing a year”). In a Chinese New Year story, “Nian” is a fierce and cruel monster which eats livestock and kids, but it is scared of red color and cracker sound Chinese New Year's Eve; Official name: 除夕 (chúxī) in China: Also called: Spring Festival Eve: Observed by: China, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam: Type: Cultural, Religious: Significance: Celebrates the end of the year: Date: last day of the 12th traditional Chinese lunisolar month [1] 2024 date: 9 February: 2025 date: 28 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. Chinese New Year: History. Chinese New Year has a long history and is deeply tied to the lunar calendar. According to legend, the holiday began as a way to protect people from a mythical beast called Nian, who would appear on New Year’s Eve. Over time, people created celebrations to drive the beast away.
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