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. 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 Chinese New Year will take place in February this year, with the Year of the Rat becoming the Year of the Ox. Unlike western societies who celebrate New Year on the last date of December every (That’s why Chinese New Year is called the Spring Festival.) And ends on the Full Moon 15 days later with the Lantern Festival. The first day of Chinese New Year is always between Jan 21st and Feb 21st. But why are Chinese New Year dates so “unpredictable”? To answer this question, one has to look at how a month in the Chinese calendar or The date that Chinese New Year falls on differs each year (Picture: Simon Hadley) The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture.. Traditionally, Chinese New Year is a 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. 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. The start of the Chinese New Year is determined by which animal's year it is, based on a 60-year cycle. This further complicates the task of pinpointing the exact date in the Gregorian calendar since each animal year can begin on a different date. 4. Why Doesn't Chinese New Year Fall on New Year's Day? Chinese New Year is never on January 1. Chinese have a different traditional date for New Year. Chinese New Year's date is determined by the Chinese lunar calendar, which is always 21–51 days behind the corresponding Gregorian (international) calendar date. 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 traditional Chinese calendar is based on a mixture of lunar and solar phenomenon - days still begin and end at midnight but months begin on the day of the full moon and years begin on the Chinese New Year takes place on a different date every year Why Does Chinese New Year Date Change Every Year. China uses the Solar calendar (Gregorian calendar) and the lunar calendar to count the days. Here’s why Chinese people celebrate New Year So why does the Chinese New Year have a different date every single year? Well, the Chinese New Year coincides with the lunar calendar, where the first day of the month begins during the new moon. The Chinese new year is on a different date every year because it is based on the Chinese calendar Why is Chinese New Year on a different date to other New Year celebrations around the world? Find out why China will celebrate the New Year in February this year. This means that the Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year Why is Chinese New Year on a different day every year? Because Chinese New Year festivities are based on a lunar calendar, the date changes every year on the Gregorian calendar that we generally use in the west. The Chinese new year is on a different date every year because it is based on the Chinese calendar, known as the lunisolar calendar. Typically date systems are usually based upon the Gregorian 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. 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. 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.
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