Your go to website for information about the Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is a significant and widely celebrated holiday in China and many other parts of the world. It marks the first day of the lunar year — based on either the lunar or lunisolar calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar, the internationally used and standard calendar.
How many people celebrate Chinese New Year is uncertain, but the Chinese New Year holiday is not only celebrated in mainland China. It is also an important holiday in Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and more, although the customs and dates for the holiday may differ amongst different countries.
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Chinese New Year follows the lunisolar calendar, so even though it is on the first day of the lunisolar year, it falls on a different date each year on the Gregorian calendar, which is the more commonly used calendar worldwide. Chinese New Year was on January 28 in the year 2017. Chinese New Year will fall on February 18 in the year 2018.
Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year, and the Spring Festival are all terms used interchangeably. The Lunar New Year is the new year of the lunar calendar, but the Chinese New Year in mainland China falls on the beginning of the lunisolar calendar. Therefore, The date of Chinese New Year may differ between mainland China and other countries where Chinese New Year is a national holiday.
In Chinese culture and folklore, there are 12 zodiac signs represented by animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each year is represented by one of these animals, each with its own characteristics. According to Chinese mythology, the Jade Emperor decided that twelve animals would guard him, and that whichever one reached the gates of heaven first would be of the highest rank. Though the ox was at the front, the rat jumped into the ox’s ear and hopped to the gate at the end of the race, placing him first. The rat and the ox were followed by the ten other animals, all becoming the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. Therefore, the celebration of each Chinese New Year is also marked by the representation of a new zodiac animal.
So how long does the Chinese New Year last? And how is Chinese New Year celebrated in China? Even though the first day of the Chinese lunisolar calendar is technically the Chinese New Year, the actual Chinese New Year celebration lasts for 15 days up until the Lantern Festival.
Before the Chinese New Year actually begins, families get together and stay up until midnight, enjoying fireworks and feasts to celebrate the incoming year.
The first day of the Chinese New Year celebration is no doubt the most festive widely celebrated — from parades to the giving of red envelopes, this day is a day for festivities.
The second day is considered by many as the arrival of the God of Wealth, and according to mythology, this is also the day that the goddess Nüwa created dogs.
On the third day of the holiday, it is actually bad luck to visit friends and family. People generally stay at home on this day to avoid bad fortune.
In many places, the fourth day is the day where companies go back into business, sometimes with a celebratory Chinese New Year dinner.
The fifth day and sixth day of the Chinese New Year are popular days for dumplings, firecrackers, and making visits to family, friends and temples.
Known as Ren Ri, meaning “human day,” the seventh day of the Chinese New Year celebration commemorates the anniversary of the goddess Nüwa’s creation of man.
The eighth day is the eve of the Jade Emperor’s birthday, which is celebrated on the ninth day with offerings and feasts.
During these few days, family and friends continue to feast and celebrate the new year with each other.
With all the extravagant and greasy Chinese New Year dishes consumed in the past two weeks, Chinese people will often take the thirteenth day to go on a cleanse.
The fourteenth day of the festival is spent preparing for another Chinese New Year tradition, the Lantern Festival.
The Lantern Festival is the last day of the Chinese New Year and the first full moon of the year. On this day, Chinese people eat Chinese New Year sweets like tang yuan — round rice balls that resemble the full moon — and set off lanterns to the sky. Lanterns and candles are used to guide lost spirits home, marking the end of the Chinese New Year’s 15 days.
