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). 2025 Chinese New Year (the first day of first lunar month) falls on Jan.29, 2024 and the year lasts to Feb.16, 2027. In folk custom, the New Year celebrating starts from the Laba Festival (the 12th day of the 12th lunar month) or Little Year (the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month) to the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the first lunar month). This year, the 15-day festival begins Friday and will be a time for adherents to usher in a new year with a variety of cultural traditions. Here's everything to know about the 2025 Lunar New Year Marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring, this festival takes place from Chinese New Year's Eve (the evening preceding the first day of the year) to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February. [a] The 15th day, also referred to Lantern Festival, is the end of the Chinese New Year festivities and all things are back to normal after that day. It is also the first full moon day after the grand event. On this day, people will go to enjoy different shapes of lanterns and guess lantern riddles. Chinese Lunar New Year’s Day is celebrated every year on the first day of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar, typically occurring between January 21 and February 20. This year, it falls on January 29. It is also commonly referred to as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. Celebrations last for 15 days, seven of which are work-free. Lunar New Year is widely celebrated throughout Asian communities and refers to the period between the first new moon of the lunar calendar and the first full moon. or Chinese New Year, falls 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. Unlike the universal New Year observed on January 1st, Chinese New Year is never on a fixed date. The dates vary according to Chinese lunar calendar, but generally fall on a day between January 21st and February 20th in the Gregorian calendar. 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 Chinese Calendar "Year" Established: In the Zhou Dynasty. The term Nian ('year') first appeared in the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BC). It had become a custom to offer sacrifices to ancestors or gods, and to worship nature in order to bless harvests at the turn of the year. What are the animals of the zodiac? Each year honors an animal based on the Chinese zodiac. The circle of 12 animals — the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig — measure the cycles of time. 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 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. 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. 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. In the lunar calendar, the Chinese New Year always falls on the first day of the first month, but its date in the solar calendar changes every year. To keep the Spring Festival's date in the solar calendar relatively stable, an extra month, called a leap month , is added to the lunar calendar every 2-3 years. 2025 Chinese New Year (the first day of first lunar month) falls on Jan.29, 2024 and the year lasts to Feb.16, 2027. In folk custom, the New Year celebrating starts from the Laba Festival (the 12th day of the 12th lunar month) or Little Year (the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month) to the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the first lunar month). Families visit their older relatives on the first day of the Chinese New Year. Explanation: 'Families' is a plural noun, so we use the plural verb 'visit'. Subsequent days of the Chinese New Year are celebrated in various ways. Explanation: 'Subsequent days' is also plural, so we again use the plural verb 'are'. 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
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