Every year, the Lunar New Year marks the transition from one animal to another. The Year of the Dragon, which began on Feb. 10, 2024, ended Tuesday to begin the Year of the Snake. Simply put, Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year are not the same. Despite being related, there are a few noteworthy differences between the two. Read on to find out what they are. The Differences between Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year 1. "Chinese New Year" is specific while "Lunar New Year" is more general. The holiday is sometimes called the Lunar New Year because the dates of celebration follow the phases of the moon. Since the mid-1990s people in China have been given seven consecutive days off work during the Chinese New Year. The festival is also called "Lunar New Year" in English, despite the traditional Chinese calendar being lunisolar and not lunar. However, "Chinese New Year" is still a commonly-used translation for people of non-Chinese backgrounds. [20] For Chinese people, Lunar New Year is the Spring Festival, In Korea, the Lunar New Year is called Seollal; in Vietnam, Tet; and in Tibet, Losar. (Related: See Hong Kong like a Nat Geo Explorer.) Why Lunar New Year prompts the world’s largest annual migration. Observed by billions of people, the festival also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is marked by themes of reunion and Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is the most important among the traditional Chinese festivals. 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. Lunar New Year, festival typically celebrated in China and other Asian countries that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later. The dates of the holiday vary from year to year, beginning some time between January 21 and February 20. Why is it called the “Lunar” New Year? The term “lunar” is an English adaptation, mainly because the holiday starts with the new moon, ends with the full moon 14 days later, and is thus based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. The name of the holiday in Chinese, 春节 Chūnjié, literally translates to “Spring Festival”. When is Lunar New Year 2025? This year, Lunar New Year begins Jan. 29. Because the lunar calendar is based on the phases of the moon, the beginning of the year happens on a different day each year. If you look up the Wikipedia page for Lunar New Year and compare it to the page for Chinese New Year, the page for Chinese New Year is at least five times longer, despite being the less general event. But generalizing Lunar New Year as Chinese New Year is more than just saying the wrong word and using the wrong name. A longstanding debate over the usage of “Chinese New Year” versus “Lunar New Year” has reignited in recent weeks as people around the world celebrated the holiday, with brands and Chinese New Year is also called Lunar New Year. The traditional Chinese calendar is based on the 28-ish day cycle of the moon, not the 365-ish day cycle of the earth around the sun. “Lunar” means “having to do with the moon”, so Lunar New Year just means the day the moon-based calendar goes from one year to the next. In China, Lunar New Year is called "Chūnjié"(chwnn-jyeah) or Spring Festival. Legend says that the Nian ("Year") monster attacked villagers at the beginning of every new year. Because the Children born in the last lunar calendar year were Dragons, while those born on or after the Lunar New Year in 2026 will be Horses, and so on. Snake-shaped installations dazzle visitors at To be precise, the Lunar New Year isn’t a “lunar” new year, because it isn’t based on a lunar calendar. Understanding that, however, requires a deeper exploration of the different types of 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. Each phase cycle spans approximately 29 days with For Chinese people, Lunar New Year is the Spring Festival, In Korea, the Lunar New Year is called Seollal; in Vietnam, Tet; and in Tibet, Losar. (Related: See Hong Kong like a Nat Geo Explorer.) Chinese Lunar New Year 2025: Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a major festival marking the beginning of a new year. The festival is also called "Lunar New Year" in English, despite the traditional Chinese calendar being lunisolar and not lunar. However, "Chinese New Year" is still a commonly-used translation for people of non-Chinese backgrounds. [20] Chinese Lunar New Year 2025: Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a major festival marking the beginning of a new year. It typically falls between January 21 and February 20. The celebration includes family gatherings, feasts, dragon dances, and many other traditions for
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