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. 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 Chinese New Year is celebrated not only in China but also in many other countries with significant Chinese communities. Each place adds its unique touch to the festivities. In Singapore, the Chingay Parade features colorful floats, dragon dances, and performances. The highlight of the celebration is Chinese New Year's Eve, when families gather for a reunion feast of symbolic foods, including dumplings shaped like ancient Chinese gold ingots that represent wealth, and fish, which in Chinese is a homonym of "abundance." The fish must be only partially eaten because the leftovers signify continuing prosperity. Chinese New Year's date is determined by the Chinese lunar calendar, which is always 21–51 days behind the corresponding Gregorian (international) calendar date. Though China has a day off on January 1, and some fireworks are let off then, most attention is focused on the traditional date of New Year. Chinese New Year falls in the period from 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 Chinese New Year starts a new animal’s zodiac year. In China, each lunar cycle has 60 years and 12 years is regarded as a small cycle. Each of the 12 years is defined by an animal sign: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. 2025 is the Year of the Snake and 2026 is the Year of the Horse. For example, San Francisco’s Chinatown has an annual flower market fair, while Oakland’s Lunar New Year Bazaar features Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese art, food and beverages. Here are 15 interesting facts about Chinese New Year. 1. Chinese New Year is also called "Spring Festival". Though in winter, Chinese call their New Year holidays 'Spring Festival' (春节 chūnjié /chwnn-jyeah/), because 'Start of Spring' (3 February) is the first of the terms in the traditional solar calendar. She faced what is termed “offending the Grand Duke” or “Fan Tai Sui” (犯太岁) in Mandarin during the last Dog year. This belief holds that sharing your birth year with the current zodiac sign can invite bad luck. To counter this, my mum insisted we buy Heidi a gold dog pendant – a talisman to shield her from any negative energy. Each year is associated with one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. This year is the Year of the Tiger. It is said that children born in the year ahead will be brave, competitive and strong. Chinese (Lunar) New Year Red Envelope Traditions and Meanings; How long does the Lunar New Year celebration go on? Unlike in the United States, where New Year’s celebration consists of two days (New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day), Lunar New Year features a massive celebration lasting anywhere from a week to 15 days. The Chinese New Year dinner also referred to as the "Reunion Dinner", called tuan nien fan or nian ye fan in Chinese, is perhaps the most loved aspect of the Spring Festival. It takes place on Chinese New Year's Eve (January 28th in 2025). The Significance of the Reunion Dinner While Lunar New Year might commonly be referred to as the Chinese New Year, this yearly celebration can be seen throughout Asia. These 10 Asian countries each enjoy the Lunar New Year with unique Celebrate Chinese New Year 2025 in style with this set of 10 unique digital printable Ang Pao (red envelope) designs! Perfect for gifting money to loved ones during the Lunar New Year, these vibrant and festive envelopes add a modern twist to the timeless tradition. Honoring the dead is a Chinese New Year's tradition that's kept to the word. Many Chinese people visit ancestors' graves on the day before the Chinese New Year's day, offer sacrifices to ancestors before the reunion dinner (to show that they are letting their ancestors "eat" first), and add an extra glass and place it at the dinner table on New Year's eve. Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort is the perfect destination to celebrate the Lunar New Year, offering a series of exciting events from January 28-29, 2025. The festivities kick off with a sumptuous Chinese New Year buffet at Kwee Zeen, featuring traditional dishes like Peking duck, glazed pork ribs, and various specialty noodles. The Chinese New Year is the first day of the year, traditionally known as the Lunar New Year Festival. The Chinese New Year is commonly known as New Year, New Year’s Day, New Year’s Jubilee, New Year’s Jubilee, New Year’s Day, Big Year, etc. Orally, the lunar new year is also known as Duyuan, Celebration of the Year, New Year and Big Year. 3. Noodles: Longevity. Noodles aren’t only a staple of Chinese cuisine, they also have the symbolism of long life.This has secured them a key spot on a traditional Chinese New Year food list. Preparing for the Lunar New Year. The phrase Guo Nian, meaning “celebrating the new year” in Chinese, evokes warm feelings of family reunions. In China, the Lunar New Year is marked by Chun Yun, the world’s largest human migration, as millions travel to reunite with their families weeks in advance.
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