Chinese New Year is extremely special because it’s all about tradition, celebration, and spending time with those who mean the most to you. One of the biggest questions people seem to have is about why the Chinese New Year date happens to change every 365 days. Here’s what you should know if you’re new to celebrating the holiday. When Chinese New Year falls is based off a lunisolar calendar, and because of this, the date can change. It begins anywhere between 21 January and 20 February on the Gregorian calendar, but must The dates change every year because the festival is based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The lunar calendar is associated with the movement of the moon, which usually defines traditional festivals like the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), Lantern Festival , Dragon Boat Festival , and Mid-Autumn Day . The Chinese zodiac is another factor that contributes to the variation in the Chinese New Year date. The Chinese zodiac is a 12-year cycle, with each year associated with a specific animal, such as the Rat, Ox, Tiger, and so on. 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. 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. Well, the Chinese New Year coincides with the lunar calendar, where the first day of the month begins during the new moon. This means that the Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year Details: One year on a Gregorian calendar is 365 days, with a leftover "leap day" every few years. One year on a lunisolar calendar is 11 days shorter, and the difference gets rolled into leap months, rather than a leap day. That's why events like Lunar New Year can seem to move around a lot, when you try to map them onto the Gregorian calendar. The date on which Chinese New Year begins changes each year. This changes simply because Chinese New Year marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year, which is when there is the start of a new moon Why Does Chinese New Year Date Change Every Year? The date is decided by the Chinese Lunar Calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon and sun and is generally 21–51 days behind the Gregorian (internationally-used) calendar. The date of Chinese New Year changes every year, but it always falls between January 21st and February 20th. 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 Year's Eve and the first 3 days of Chinese New Year; will be made up on subsequent working days if any of the 4 days fall on Saturday or Sunday. 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. Find out why China will celebrate the New Year in February this year This Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 22, making it one of the earliest in recent history. So why does the date of the lunar new year change? Sun and moon. The Chinese calendar is both lunar and solar: months are based on the phases of the moon, and a year is based on the period of the sun. 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. Why Does Chinese New Year Date Change Every Year? The date is decided by the Chinese Lunar Calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon and sun and is generally 21–51 days behind the Gregorian (internationally-used) calendar. The date of Chinese New Year changes every year, but it always falls between January 21st and February 20th. Mongolian lunar calendars, as well as Islamic and Jewish ones, for example, all have different months and cycles, and therefore celebrate Lunar New Year on different dates. Today, Chinese New Year is almost always celebrated on the second new moon following the winter solstice, therefore falling from late January to mid-February. It's based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar, with Chinese Lunar New Year always beginning on the day of the second new moon after the December solstice (the first new moon this year occurred on Why Does Chinese New Year Date Change Every Year. China uses the Solar calendar (Gregorian calendar) and the lunar calendar to count the days. 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.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.