The Lunar New Year, which falls on the Gregorian calendar between January 20 and February 21, is a very important holiday for many Asian countries. The last Chinese New Year’s Eve will be on January 28, 2025, which means that the happy holiday will end in 2024. The Chinese New Year starts on February 10.
“Lunar New Year” and “Chinese New Year” are different because they go into more depth. It’s better to use the word “Lunar New Year” instead of “Chinese New Year” because it refers to more than just the Chinese New Year celebration. This broader language acknowledges the holiday’s cultural diversity, as it is celebrated in many places with different names. This holiday is also known as the Spring Festival and has different names in different countries. In China, it is Chūn Jié, in Vietnam, Tết, in Korea, and in Tibet, Losar.
People prefer the name “Lunar New Year” because these events, which happen in many Asian countries, are based on the same lunar calendar. Accepting this broader word emphasizes the links between different cultures, reinforcing the celebration’s unity across the Asian continent.
When is Lunar New Year 2023?
There are more than one day in the Lunar New Year because the calendar used in China is different from the Gregorian calendar used in many Western countries. When these festivals happen, they last for different amounts of time in different countries.
Mr. Xiaoquan Raphael Zhang, who runs the Chinese program at American University, says that the Lunar New Year is enjoyed for fifteen days, from the new Moon to the next full Moon.
In 2023, the Lunar New Year starts on January 22 and ends on February 5. A Spring Festival is the name of the first day of the Lunar New Year. A is the name of the last day.
How do people celebrate the Lunar New Year?
This holiday is different from most others because it lasts longer than most others, which are only observed for one day. Depending on the society that celebrates it, this festival can last up to 15 days, which is a lot of time for many happy events. Firework shows parades with lots of bright colors, and the mesmerizing lion and dragon dances are just a few of the fancy things that could happen at the party.
Asian countries have very different Lunar New Year traditions, but one thing that all of them have in common is giving money to children. Kids get little red boxes with cash inside from their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even strangers in the family on this day, which is called “lì xì” in Vietnamese or “hóng bāo” in Mandarin. The amount surrounded can be a dollar as a symbol or a lot of money. Often, the numbers inside are lucky numbers that bring good luck.
When people celebrate the Lunar New Year, they do more than give money to each other. In the past, red was used to scare away bad spirits. Now, it’s the main color in decorations, standing for happiness and good luck. Families get together for holiday dinners with traditional foods like salmon, life noodles, tangyuan, spring rolls, and dumplings. People often give and receive oranges and tangerines as gifts because they are thought to bring wealth and happiness. One practice used to get rid of any bad luck that might still be there is sweeping homes.
The end of the Lunar New Year is often marked by the lovely Lantern Festival, which stands for love and hope. A lot of different traditions are celebrated throughout this long holiday, which brings communities and families together in a spirit of hope and renewal.
About Lunar New Year
The Lunar New Year is a holiday that goes back to the beginning of time and marks the start of a new lunar cycle. In the north, it’s called the Spring Festival and takes place between the December solstice and the March equinox. Chinese people use the Gregorian calendar for everyday life, but the Chinese calendar decides when the Lunar New Year and other important holidays happen.
In the Chinese calendar, each year is linked to a different animal. A story says that Buddha offered animals gifts if they would worship him. Only twelve of the animals that answered were given a Chinese zodiac year by Buddha as a thank-you. Each person is thought to get special traits from the animal that represents their birth year, and this process happens again and again every 12 years.
Astronomers have used the Longitude of the Sun and the stages of the Moon to make the Chinese calendar. Emperor Huangdi (Huang Ti) is thought to have started using it between 2600 and 3000 BCE. A story says that the ruler made the calendar in 2637 BCE before the Gregorian calendar was used starting in 1582. The Chinese lunar calendar, which is used to plan holidays, has a different length of year than the Gregorian calendar. That’s why the times of these festivals change every year. This lunar calendar is also used by Chinese people all over the world.
The Lunar New Year Traditions and Superstitions, Explained
Everyone knows the Lunar New Year as the Spring Festival or the Chinese New Year. It always takes place on either January 21 or February 20. It will be the Year of the Rabbit in China starting on February 5, 2023. The Lunar New Year starts on January 22 and ends with the Lantern Festival. People in China Highlights think that this zodiac sign means “longevity, peace, and prosperity.”
“Lunar New Year” is used because it is the same as the first new Moon on the lunisolar calendars used in China, South Korea, and Vietnam across East Asia. The sun and Moon move in different ways on these dates, so they are not the same as the solar calendar. The New York Times says that a solar year is about 365 days long, while a lunar year is about 354 days long and has 12 full moon cycles. Like with the Jewish lunisolar calendar, an extra month is added every so often to make it match the solar year. This makes the range of dates for the new year even bigger every year.
China’s 15-day celebration ends with the Lantern Festival. The party starts on New Year’s Eve with a family reunion dinner full of traditional Lunar New Year dishes. Nancy Yao Maasbach, president of the Museum of Chinese in America in New York City, says it’s a time for “new beginnings and family gathering.” She also says that “fortune, happiness, and health” are three important themes.
Lunar New Year Traditions and Customs
The Lunar New Year is an ancient event with traditions from many Asian countries that are both unique and similar.
Getting Ready for the Year of the Pig:
The Lunar New Year is planned for a long time ahead of time, usually a week or two before the event. A week before the Lunar New Year, people start enjoying what is called “Little Year.” During this time, they clean their homes, make food, decorate with lanterns and paintings, and pray to the Kitchen God. All of these plans are about saying goodbye to old things and hello to new ones.
Getting things for the New Year:
During the Lunar New Year vacation season, shopping is a popular thing to do, just like it is at Christmas. Before the party, bright New Year’s street markets pop up where people buy a variety of things, including new clothes, food, snacks, fireworks, lanterns, and gifts for family and friends.
Goodbye, Kitchen God:
A very old custom is to send off the Kitchen God. As per Chinese tradition, on the 23rd day of the 12th month of the Lunar Calendar, the Kitchen God must leave to bring the Jade Emperor in heaven an annual report on what’s going on in the home. How well the family does in the coming New Year will rest on what the Jade Emperor decides, which he will do after reading this report. A lot of votive offerings are made to thank the Kitchen God and ask the Jade Emperor for good luck so that people can have a peaceful and happy New Year.
Getting the House Clean:
Families often take the time to clean their homes and the areas around them before the new year starts. This act, which is called “sweeping away the dust,” has a spiritual meaning. The Chinese word for “dust” sounds a lot like the word for “old,” and it has to do with cleaning to get rid of bad luck from the past year and start anew.
Adding different rituals and traditions to the celebrations gives them more depth and meaning, bringing out themes of return, gratitude, and hope for good luck in the coming year.
What Lunar New Year is 2018?
New Year of the Dog
Chinese New Year of the Dog 2018 begins on Friday, the 16th of February and ends on 2019 Lunar New Year’s Eve on Feb. 4. The Dog occupies the eleventh position in the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac .
The Chinese Zodiac says that 2018 will be the year of the Dog, and the word for the year is “ACTION!”
The 2019 Earth Pig year comes after the Year of the Fire Rooster. The Earth Dog year comes before it.
The 2018 Chinese New Year of the Dog starts on Friday, February 16, and ends on February 4, 2019, which is the last day of the Lunar New Year. The Chinese zodiac has a 12-year pattern, and the Dog is in the eleventh spot. People born in 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, and 2018 have a “Dog Chinese zodiac animal.”
Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, Dog, and pig) is linked to one of five elements: metal (gold), wood, water, fire, and Earth. The element that 2018 is most like is Earth, so it is an Earth Dog Year.
According to the Chinese Horoscope 2018, this will be a Brown Earth Dog year, which means it will be mostly good but hard. It is expected to bring a mix of happiness and sadness, restfulness and tiredness, and excitement and boredom. It is suggested that people avoid using the words “planning,” “postponing,” and “negligence” this year.
Why is Lunar New Year 15 days?
The first day of the Lunar New Year is known as the Spring Festival and marks the end of the cold winter months and the start of the warmer spring season. The 15 days of celebration are a way to mark the transition from the old year to the new and to welcome the new year with good luck and prosperity.
The first full Moon after the Spring Festival and the start of the New Year is on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. This is called yuán xiāo jié, which means “first night of the full moon.” Today is also Lantern Festival day, so there will be another reunion dinner with lanterns and oranges.
A common thing to do during the Lantern Festival is to eat yuanxiao, which are special sweet cakes shaped like the full Moon. These round balls made of sticky rice flour are filled with sweet things that represent getting back together.
Lanterns are put up all over during the holiday, often in the form of lantern fairs, and kids bring lanterns to temples. The event is linked to the belief that lanterns bring lost or evil demonic souls back to their homes and help people, families, nature, and higher beings interact in a good way. These things are in charge of bringing and returning the light every year.
There is another story that links the Lantern Festival to Taoism. The Taoist “Ruler of Heaven,” Tian Guan, celebrates his birthday on the 15th day of the first lunar month. He is in charge of luck, wealth, and good fortune. During this holiday, devotees do many things to please Tian Guan and ask for her wishes for good luck.
Who celebrates Lunar Year?
China
Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population.
In China, the Lunar New Year is also called the Spring Festival. It is a big holiday that celebrates the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. This holiday is celebrated in China, South Korea, Vietnam, and among Chinese people living outside of China. The official dates vary from culture to culture, but everyone sees it as a time for family gatherings.
Many customs are part of the fifteen-day Lunar New Year celebration. Families put red paper cutouts in the windows and couplets on the doorways to decorate their houses and wish everyone luck in the new year. Shopping for Christmas gifts at outdoor markets and cleaning the whole house are important parts of the holiday season. The highlight is the reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which includes foods that are thought to bring happiness and success, like a whole fish that represents plenty.
The Lantern event marks the end of the event on the fifteenth day. During this time, people enjoy tangyuan and sweet, glutinous rice balls, and children carry lanterns at night to mark the conclusion of the Lunar New Year celebrations.
In the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is marked as the year of the dragon. Various places in Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year in varied ways, and it’s crucial to note that many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders may not follow the Chinese/lunar zodiac.
Do Indians do Lunar New Year?
The two most common lunar new year celebrations in India are Diwali, and Gudi Padwa/Ugadi/Puthandu. Diwali typically falls in October or November, and Gudi Padwa/Ugadi/Puthandu typically falls in April. In ancient times, the sun’s entry into Aries coincided with the equinox.
Lunar New Year is extremely important to the Chinese, even in places such as India. This ceremony, also known as the “Spring Festival,” honors the start of spring. Its roots can be traced back to the habit of painting houses with red paper to fend off the Nian, a mythical beast said to devour people and animals. Over antiquity, the New Year celebrations evolved into a way of thanking the gods for protecting them from Nian and giving them a tranquil life.
As Chinese people relocated to other nations, the custom of celebrating Chinese New Year spread across the world. In India, a large number of Chinese immigrants, especially in Kolkata and Tripura, retain this traditional practice. Tangra, their Chinatown, is well-known, and Kolkata alone is home to over 200,000 Chinese people. This shows the influence of the Lunar New Year and how it is celebrated in different locations.
Which country is happy Lunar New Year?
Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population.
A number of Asian countries, including China, North and South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, and Vietnam, celebrate the Lunar New Year as a public holiday lasting several days. Filial ties are greatly prized throughout the holiday season. Therefore, many individuals return to their hometowns to party with their family.
The annual 40-day “spring migration,” known as chūnyun, is performed by hundreds of millions of Chinese people, including expats. As people gather at transit hubs to enjoy the Lunar New Year with their families, large-scale traffic bottlenecks occur frequently.
Seollal, often known as “New Year,” is a three-day public holiday in Korea that happens on the days preceding, after, and following the lunar new year. People usually return to their hometowns around this period to spend time with their families. Some people may choose to play traditional games such as yutnori while dressed in traditional hanbok.
In addition to being a day of celebration, Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival in China and Seollal in Korea, is a time when both cultures value family.
The Spring Festival in China emphasizes the value of family gatherings, with loved ones traveling long distances to be with one another. The celebrations include extensive family meals, traditional events, blessings, and well wishes. Generations come together around this time to uphold traditions and enjoy the start of a new year.
Similarly, family-oriented celebrations honor Seollal in Korea. People return to their ancestral homes to celebrate holidays, perform customary rites, and participate in activities that strengthen family relationships. The heart of the Korean Lunar New Year is to commemorate ancestors and spend time with loved ones.
The emphasis on family during the Lunar New Year demonstrates how important this cultural celebration is to everyone. Despite differences in titles and practices, family ties remain equally important as a symbol of peace, affection, and the need to meet to celebrate the start of a new year.
