A lion dance performance is staged at the 4th edition of the Chinese New Year cultural festival at the National Arts Center in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, Jan. 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Mengxin) The Chinese New Year and its rich cultural heritage are also being shared in exciting new ways. Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is the grandest festival in China, usually with a 8 days' holiday. As the most colorful annual event, the traditional CNY celebration lasts longer, up to two weeks, and the climax arrives around the Lunar New Year's Eve. 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. 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 (also called Spring Festival or Lunar New Year) is the most popular holiday in China and Chinese communities around the world. As one of the most important and distinctive traditional Chinese folk festivals, Chinese New Year carries rich cultural connotations and profound national emotions. The Chinese New Year and Spring Festival have a very long history that can be traced back 3,500 years into the past. The actual beginnings of the Chinese New Year tradition were not recorded clearly. However, many historians believe that the tradition began during the times of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC ). Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival or Chunjie, is the most important festival in China. 2025 is the Year of the Snake when the Chinese will enjoy a Chinese New Year holiday for 8 days. How is Chinese New Year celebrated? Spring Festival is a time for families to come together, exchange money-filled red envelopes (红包, hóngbāo), and enjoy delicious Chinese food. The Chinese New Year is a 15-day holiday and includes a variety of festivities depending on the region and its local traditions and customs. 'Spring Festival' refers to the same festival more commonly known in English as the 'Chinese New Year'. It is the biggest festival in China. Spring Festival 2025 falls on Wednesday, Jan 29th, 2025, beginning a year of the Snake. In China, Spring Festival is the common name for Chinese Lunar New Year. It's in winter, but the name Spring Festival Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is the most important among the traditional Chinese festivals. The origin of the Chinese New Year Festival can be traced back to about 3,500 years ago. Chinese New Year has evolved over a long period of time and its customs have undergone a long development process. 7. Sending Chinese New Year Wishes. During Chinese New Year, Chinese people will greet each other with pleasant words like: 'Xin nian kuai le' which means 'Happy New Year' (simplified Chinese: 新年快乐). See more Chinese New Year Greetings and Wishes. 8. Watching the New Year TV Gala Lunar New Year marks the beginning of a new year on China's traditional lunisolar calendar. It is a time for family gatherings. It is the most important festival in China (where it is known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival), and it is also widely celebrated in South Korea (where it is known as Seollal), in Vietnam (as Tet), as well as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other countries 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. Moreover, New Year decorations must be on the shopping list. Spring Festival couplets, red lanterns, Fu character posters, red paper cuts, and New Year pictures with images of Chinese zodiac animals are most popular ornaments. Read more about How to Decorate for Chinese New Year. During Chinese New Year, people have a long list of things to do. From one week preceding the festival to the 15th day after, many Chinese New Year customs are widely observed for thousands of years. The family reunion dinner, eating dumplings, and setting off firework are the must-dos that you might know. What else interesting do the Chinese do? Spring Festival Gala 2025 will begin with a worldwide live telecast on Tuesday (January 28) at 8:00 pm Beijing time. The Chinese community from across the globe and others will watch the Chinese Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China. China instituted a weeklong vacation during the holiday—now officially called Spring Festival—giving people the opportunity to China wanted to do everything Western, so it celebrated the January 1 New Year. In fact, in 1949, the Communist Party forbade the celebration of the traditional Chinese New Year. However, by the 1980s, new Chinese leaders had a change of heart and allowed the celebration of the traditional Chinese New Year. In China, the spring festival marks the beginning of the new year. It falls on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar and involves a variety of social practices to usher in the new year, pray for good fortune, celebrate family reunions and promote community harmony. This process of celebration is known as ‘guonian’ (crossing the year). In the days preceding the festival
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