The festivities continue for two weeks, finishing with a special lantern festival, which signals the end of the New Year celebration period. There are dragon dances, performances, and festival parades with music and acrobatics. Man-made paper lanterns are hung by the hundreds in public areas, bringing good luck to the new year. (Occasionally, the date celebrated may differ by one day or even one moon cycle due to time zones and other factors.) How Is Lunar New Year Celebrated?Īs with many winter solstice celebrations, the symbolic darkness of night is banished by the light of fireworks, lanterns, and candles. Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most celebrated and longest of all Asian festivals, and is observed by millions of people around the world.Ī number of other countries in East Asia, including Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and the Philippines, hold their own new year celebrations at this time. ( Note: China follows the Gregorian calendar for daily business, but still follows the Chinese calendar for important festivals, auspicious dates such as wedding dates, and the Moon phases.) Who Celebrates Lunar New Year?Īlthough this holiday has commonly been called “Chinese New Year” in the West, China is not the only country to observe it. Just like New Year according to the Gregorian calendar (January 1), Lunar New Year celebrations start on the night before the first day of the new year.

The Chinese lunisolar calendar shares some similarities with the Hebrew calendar, which is also lunisolar, and it has influenced other East Asian calendars, such as those of Korea and Vietnam.īecause the Chinese calendar defines the lunar month containing the winter solstice as the 11th month, Lunar New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice.

This ancient calendar dates back to 14th century BCE (whereas the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582). The traditional Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, which means that it is based on astronomical observations of the Sun’s position in the sky and the Moon’s phases. See our Moon Phase Calendar for local times.) Why Are There Different New Years? (Note: Due to the difference in time zones, the new Moon may technically occur one calendar date earlier or later in United States. In 2022, this new Moon occurs in China on Tuesday, February 1, marking the start of the Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year begins on the date (in East Asia) of the second new Moon after the winter solstice, which always takes place in late December. This means that the first day of the Lunar New Year can occur anytime between January 21 and February 20.

Happy lunar new year