The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is a 15-day festival that begins today, Jan. 29. 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). The day before Chinese New Year's Eve is also designated as holiday, but as a bridge holiday, and will be made up on an earlier or later Saturday. Additional bridge holidays may apply, resulting in 9-day or 10-day weekends. [59] [60] [61] 4 (legally), 9–10 (including Saturdays and Sundays) [62] Thailand: Wan Trut Chin (Chinese New Year's Day) 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 The Vietnamese New Year celebration of Tet, short for Tet Nguyen Dan which means “festival of the first day”, is celebrated over three days as opposed to the traditional 15 of the Chinese New Chinese New Year, annual 15-day festival in China and Chinese communities around the world that begins with the new moon that occurs sometime between January 21 and February 20 according to Western calendars. 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. 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 the Year of Horse. Chinese Calendar Years 2020 - 2031. Almost all the features of Chinese culture you may have heard of, including zodiac animals, Chinese New Year, Tai Sui and the Five Elements Theory, are based on the lunar calendar. You can find the start and finish (in Gregorian calendar dates) of the lunar years in the current decade below, along with their 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. Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year celebration usually lasts 15 days, from New Year's Eve to the 15th day of the Chinese New Year—the Lantern Festival.In 2025, the celebration starts on Jan. 28th and ends on Feb. 12th. 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. 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? In many Chinese cities, the local temple serves as a spiritual center. The third day of the new year, January 31, 2025, is traditionally a day for visiting temples. People visit to make offerings, seek blessings from deities, and consult fortune-tellers about the year ahead. This is also a time to pause and reflect spiritually as the new year Chinese New Year, the grandest festival for Chinese people, is celebrated for more than half a month.According to the oldest traditions, people follow a day-by-day schedule of Chinese New Year festivities from the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, with specific things to do on certain days. Taking naps, especially on the first day of the Chinese New Year, represents laziness. In Chinese culture, taking naps on the first day of the new year will affect your luck and career for the rest of the year. 9. Avoid breaking things in your home 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. Laba Festival (Jan. 7, 2025): Old Chinese New Year Calendar Start. Traditionally, the start of the Chinese New Year calendar is 'The Laba Festival' (腊八节 Làbājié), which occurs about three weeks before Chinese New Year's Day and is celebrated separately. Religious activities and preparations for Lunar New Year would begin on this day. Fourth Day of Chinese New Year 初四. The day to honour the Kitchen god who would return to Heaven to report on the family to the Jade Emperor, some place nian2 gao1 (New Year Sticky Cake) as offerings to appease the Kitchen god who then either can’t speak much due to the stickiness of the sweet cake or speaks sweet nothings about the family. 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. (140–87 B.C.), the
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