Half-day on Chinese New Year's Eve and the first day of Chinese New Year. [58] 1 South Korea Korean New Year (Seollal) The first 3 days of Chinese New Year. 3 Taiwan: Taiwanese New Year: 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 first day of the New Year is known as Yuan Dan (Chinese: 元旦; pinyin: yuándàn (First Morning of the year), New Year’s Day, First Day (or Duan Ri). During the 15 day period new year visits (Traditional Chinese: 拜年; pinyin: bài nián, translated: pay respect, worship, salute the year) will be made to family and friends. The legal holiday is seven days long, from the Lunar New Year's Eve to the sixth day of the first lunar month. Some companies and public institutions enjoy a longer holiday up to 10 days or more, because in common knowledge among Chinese people, the festival lasts longer, from the Lunar New Year's Eve to the 15th day of the first lunar month (Lantern Festival). When is Lunar New Year 2025? 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. Lunar New Year 2026. Tue, Feb 17, 2026 – 17 countries. Mon, Feb 16, 2026 – Vietnam. Fri, Feb 6, 2026 / Tue, Feb 17, 2026 – United States. Lunar New Year is the first day of the New Year in the Chinese calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar. It is also known as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year. Every year is represented The first day on Gregorian calendar, the New Year's Day, was called Yuandan, while the first day on the lunar calendar was called Chunjie (Spring Festival), which is the present widely celebrated Chinese New Year. After 1949, the Spring Festival was listed as a nationwide public holiday, and people got days off work and school. 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 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. Chinese New Year. This is without a doubt the biggest holiday in China and other Chinese speaking communities around the world. Officially, it is the first day of the first month of the year in the lunar calendar, but this often comprises a full holiday season lasting for an entire month. 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. 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. Each culture has its own name for the New Note: From 2025 until 2029, the Chinese New Year’s Eve falls on the 29th day of the 12th lunar month for five consecutive years.. In ancient times, Chinese New Year was closely related to astronomical phenomena and agricultural production and life. 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. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month in the lunar calendar and ends on the 15th of the lunar calendar. To celebrate the New Year, people buy fireworks and firecrackers, because they make loud noises and can scare away bad things. But, they wait until New Year's Eve and the first day of the New Year to set them off at night. The 28th day of the 12th lunar month (January 27, 2025) - 腊月二十八. People start preparing pasta dishes. 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? The seventh day of the Lunar New Year (February 4, 2025) is said to be when the Chinese mother goddess, Nuwa, created humanity. Thus, it’s called renri/jan jat (the people’s birthday). 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. The holiday was 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.) Chinese New Year is the first day of the New Year in the Chinese lunisolar calendar (Chinese traditional calendar). It is also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival. The first day of the festival begins on the New Moon sometime each year between January 21st and February 20th. 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. A Legend of the Origin of Chinese New Year. Like all traditional festivals in China, Chinese New Year is steeped with stories and myths.
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