Wednesday, Jan. 29, marks the Chinese New Year. is also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. The occasion is celebrated in China and many other Asian communities, and across the U.S. It The Chinese New Year will begin on January 29, 2025, according to Parade. The celebration lasts up to 16 days, or until the full moon. The celebration lasts up to 16 days, or until the full moon. The lunar calendar, unlike the Gregorian calendar, uses the phases of the moon to delineate days, weeks and months of the year. A lunar month is the period of time from one new moon to the next Times Square ball drops and midnight kisses reliably usher in the New Year on the same date every year. But for billions of people around the world who celebrate the Chinese New Year, also known 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. The Chinese New Year of 2026 falls on February 17th (Tuesday), and will last to February 21th. It is the Year Chinese New Year 2025 ends Wednesday, Feb. 12. Why does Chinese New Year last 15 days? Chinese New Year celebrations typically last up to 16 days, but only the first seven days are considered The exact date varies each year based on the lunar calendar. Lunar New Year is widely celebrated throughout Asian communities and refers to the period between the first new moon of the lunar 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). Starting Jan. 29, 2025, the Chinese Lunar New Year marks the Year of the Wood Snake. It’s celebrated for 15 days, ending on Feb. 12, or Lantern Festival. Lunar Calendar Date. Gregorian Calendar Date (2025) Chinese New Year. 1 st Day of the 1 st Month. January 29, 2025. Lantern Festival. 15 th Day of the 1 st Month. February 12, 2025. Qingming Festival. 15 th Day After the Spring Equinox. April 4, 2025. Dragon Boat Festival. 5 th Day of the 5 th Month. May 31, 2025Double Seventh Festival. 7 th Chinese New Year Calendar from 1930 to 2030, as well as the Animal Sign and the number of days from today to the next Chinese New Year. Year: Chinese New Year 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. The date of Chinese New Year falls on a different day each year. Suppose the new moon rises at 8 pm, the entire day is the first day of the new month. During this time, people held sacrificial ceremonies in honor of gods at the beginning of the year. The date of the Chinese New Year was established during the Han Dynasty from 202 BC to 220 AD. Through the years, different ways of celebrating the New Year evolved. In 1949, the Chinese New Year was renamed the Spring Festival. Schools did not close for Lunar New Year in the first year of the new law because the holiday fell on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. The date varies from year to year as the Lunar New Year is based on Chinese New Year is thought to date back to the 14th century BC, when the Shang dynasty ruled. Its origins are steeped in legend. One story says that a monster named Nian ("Year") attacked The first 2 days of Chinese New Year. [50] 2 Brunei: Tahun Baru Cina: Half-day on Chinese New Year's Eve and the first day of Chinese New Year. [51] 1 Hong Kong: Lunar New Year: The first 3 days of Chinese New Year. [52] 3 Macau: Novo Ano Lunar: The first 3 days of Chinese New Year [53] 3 Indonesia: Tahun Baru Imlek (Sin Cia) The first day of Chinese New Year doesn’t fall on the same day every year, because it follows the lunar calendar. According to this calendar, the new year begins on the new moon between January 21 st and February 20 th , so the exact date of the Spring Festival changes every year. The earliest possible date in the Gregorian calendar is 1582; the earliest possible date in the Julian calendar would be in 1 Ianuarius 1 (45 BCE). So there is a 17 century spread of what you mean by the "earliest date". "Earliest" thing I know of is Egyptian hieroglyphs which were established to talk about 3200 BC. (I am not 100% on this, this is just how I understand it) The only really ancient year I cling to personally is the first Olympic games in 776.
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