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. 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 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 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. 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. (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 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. With that said, the date is consistent if you’re sticking to the lunar calendar – it’s all a matter of perspective. 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. As a result, an ordinary year has 12 months while a leap year has 13 months. And an ordinary year has 354, or 355 days, and a leap year has 384 or 385 days. So the first day of the first month in the lunar calendar, Chinese New Year’s Day, varies every year. 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. 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. 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 Chinese New Year is on a different day every year because our western calendar (Gregorian) doesn't match with the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Thus, sometimes, the Chinese New Year lands in January Students in Rochester — and around New York state — won’t be in class on Jan. 29 in recognition of the latest school holiday. Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is celebrated on Chinese New Year is also a time to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. Many traditions and customs, such as setting off fireworks and hanging red decorations, are believed to bring good luck and prosperity while scaring away any negative energies. Another important aspect of Chinese New Year is the emphasis on family and togetherness. Families The Chinese zodiac’s traditions and customs resonate through our actions even in contemporary settings. As the Year of the Snake approaches, we should not underestimate the influence of some of the common folklore beliefs. Another reason for this chosen name, and also for why the Spring Festival is relatively long, is because at that time, the newly formed government of the Republic of China wanted to include festivals of all Chinese ethnic spring celebrations into one inclusive holiday that was not labeled 'Chinese New year' in order to respect the different new
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