What to know about Lunar New Year’s Celebration

On By Littum

Many Asian countries are celebrating New Year at this time, including Vietnam and Korea. Lunar New Year, often called the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, is the most important holiday in China and many other Asian communities. It is an annual 15-day festival that begins with the new moon between January 29 and February 27 in Western calendars. The festival lasts until the following full moon. The holiday began as a time for partying and honoring households and heavenly deities as well as ancestors.

How long are the Chinese New Year festivals?

Chinese New Year in 2025 falls on January 29 and ends with the Lantern Festival on February 12. Celebrations last up to 16 days; The Chinese holiday lasts from Wednesday to February 4th.

What is the Chinese Zodiac?

The Chinese zodiac sign or Sheng Xiao (生肖) is a repetitive 12-year-old cycle of animal signs and their attributes based on the lunar calendar.

Lunar New Year marks the transition from one animal to another. The year of the dragon, which began on February 10, 2024, ends on Tuesday. Wednesday begins the year of the snake. The year of the snake came in late 2013.

Before the Moon New Year

In preparation for Lunar New Year, houses are thoroughly cleaned to remove any unfolor from the previous year. It is also recommended that you pay any debt before the new year partly to close the books at the end of the year and start another year fresh.

Some additional traditions that prepare for the lunar New Year include putting the Spring Festival couplings on doors or windows and buying new clothes.

New Year’s Eve

In the morning of New Year’s Eve, people sweep the tombs of their ancestors and then return home. When they finish hanging spring festival couplings and red lanterns, it’s time for the big family reunification dinner. This banquet is assumed to be the most important dinner of the year. Large families for several generations meet and enjoy delicious and lucky dishes.

In China, they vary foods served by these dinners from north to south. North Chinese cuisine tends to have dumplings and noodles; South China meals are very dependent on rice cakes. Traditionally, people give red envelopes with money and light fireworks after dinner.

Chinese New Year Traditions

Festival of Lanterns

The last day of the new year is known as the Festival of Lanterns and marks the end of the Chinese New Year’s celebration. All types of lanterns are illuminated throughout the streets, and poems and riddles are often written for entertainment.

Contributes Dian Zhang

SOURCE USA Today Network Reporting and Research; Chinesenewyear.net, History.com