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. 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. A woman offers prayers at the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong, to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which marked the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac in 2023 [File: Bertha Wang/AP Photo 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 As the last day of the lunar year, Chinese New Year's Eve (除夕 chú xī) is the day before Chinese New Year. It is a grand reunion time for the whole Chinese family. People will participate in many activities to celebrate the coming new year. Chinese New Year's Eve Traditions 1. Putting Up New Year Decorations 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 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 Travelling instead of staying at home to celebrate Chinese New Year has become more popular during the past few years. With the rapid development of transportation, especially high-speed railways and airways, it’s more convenient for Chinese to travel during the 7-day holiday, which provides a good opportunity for people to relax and take a Japan used to celebrate Lunar New Year according to the traditional lunar calendar. However, during the Meiji Era (1868–1912), the Japanese government adopted the Gregorian calendar with New Year beginning on January 1. Although Chinese New Year isn't a holiday in Japan, celebration activities still can be seen in the Chinatowns. 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? Along with the Han Chinese inside and outside of Greater China, as many as 29 of the 55 ethnic minority groups in China also celebrate Chinese New Year. Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines celebrate it as an official festival. [20] Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year or the Chinese Spring Festival, holds the most significant position among all Chinese festivals and holidays. It lasts for the first fifteen days of the Chinese lunar calendar, which on the 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. China. Chinese New Year is thought to date back to the Shang Dynasty in the 14th century B.C. It was the occasion to celebrate the harvest and worship the gods and ask for good harvests in The Chinese New Year festivals and prayers have marked the start of the Year of the Snake. Hundreds lined up in the hours before midnight at the Wong Tai Sin Taoist temple in Hong Kong in a bid to Top 4 cities to celebrate the Chinese New Year in China: Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Harbin, find out what activities there are. China Tours Top 10 Tours If you want to experience Chinese culture during the Chinese New Year period, China Highlights' tours offer you the opportunity to celebrate a traditional Chinese New Year with a local family. See our most recommended tours below: 11-Day Classic Wonders of China Tour: top China sights and Chinese New Year celebrations with a local family in Guilin 8. Which Countries Celebrate Chinese New Year? Many of China's neighbors who share historical ancestry with China, celebrate this festival as well, or similar festivals at around the same time, with similar elements and traditions. 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. The Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival, is the most important and widely celebrated festival of all in China. It is celebrated from the 1st day of the 1st lunar month to the 15th day of the 1st lunar month.
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