In Mandarin, the most common way to wish your family and close friends a happy Chinese New Year is "Xīnnián hǎo" (新年好), literally meaning 'New Year Goodness' or 'Good New Year'. Another way to say "Happy Chinese New Year" is "Xīnnián kuàilè" (新年快乐), literally meaning 'New Year happiness'. It is a formal greeting typically Celebrating the Chinese New Year. In Chinese-speaking countries, the Spring Festival (春节 chūn jié) is a general term used to refer to the festival season.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. Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year, alternatively referred to as the Spring Festival, is also commonly called the Lunar New Year – an inclusive name reflecting that many countries, not just China, recognize the 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. Fireworks during New Year. Photo: Flickr The importance of the Chinese zodiac. New Year celebrations in Western countries aren't related to the signs of the zodiac or at least most people don't do the connection. In China, however, the New Year is strongly connected to the Chinese zodiac or Shí'èr Shēngxiào 十二生肖. 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 The Chinese New Year is also a time when the annual zodiac sign changes, meaning that each year is assigned to a specific zodiac animal. Zodiac signs play an integral role in Chinese culture. It is said that your luck regarding financial situations, health and relationships for each year can be calculated based on your zodiac sign. Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. Chinese New Year 2025 will fall on Wednesday, January 29th. The date changes every year but is always somewhere in the period from January 21st to February 20th. 3. The Origins of Chinese New Year. Agricultural Roots of Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year traces its origins to ancient China’s agrarian society, where the agricultural calendar played a central role in daily life. Autumn marked the harvest, while winter was a time to store crops for the coming year. Each Chinese lunar year has a Chinese zodiac sign animal. The Chinese zodiac year's stsarting date is a little different from the Gregorian year. It starts from Chinese New Year. The Chinese zodiac years chart below is provided to help you find out the exact starting and ending dates of the Chinese zodiac years. (This is especially useful for The date of Chinese New Year changes every year, so to answer “when is Chinese New Year celebrated?” is a bit tricky. Every year, there is a window between January 21st and February 20th into which the Chinese New Year celebrations fall. The Chinese zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang, features 12 animal signs in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. 2025 is the Year of the Snake according to Chinese zodiac, starting from the 2025 Chinese New Year on Jan. 29th and lasting to 2026 Lunar New Year's Eve on Feb. 16. 2026 is the Year of the Horse. The Chinese New Year of 2025 falls on January 29th (Wednesday), and will last to February 2nd. It is the Year of Snake.As an official public holiday, Chinese people can get eight days' off from work, from January 28th to February 4th. 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 Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 animals that signify each year, tracing their origins to a race set by the Jade Emperor. Each animal embodies distinct traits and is linked to five elements What is Lunar New Year? Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, marks the start of a new zodiac cycle based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Each year, the date shifts within the Gregorian calendar. Lunar New Year is celebrated around the world, particularly in Asian countries like China, shown here (Beijing). 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 Another year over, a new one just begun. Today, billions of Chinese around the world will be welcoming in the New Year, as the Year of the Dragon makes way for the Year of the Snake - the sixth Bidding farewell to the mythical Dragon, the world welcomes the Year of the Snake on January 29 — the first day of the Lunar New Year. For those who celebrate this ancient festival, starting the
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