What's the difference between the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year and the lunar new year?
The Lunar New Year originated in China. The lunar new year, the Chinese New Year and the Spring Festival are all the same Festival, but they are called differently in different periods or occasions. In China, the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar is defined as the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival. Chinese people usually call it the Spring Festival and the lunar new year,
In ancient China, the lunar new year was also known as the head of the year, new year's day, new year's day, etc. The folk custom is called "year". In 1914, the lunar new year was renamed the Spring Festival and is still in use today.
What's the difference between Spring Festival and new year's day? (ancient vs modern)
It's about the lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar.
The ancient New Year's Day is the Lunar New Year (the 1th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar). In 1914, the lunar new year was renamed the Spring Festival, so the ancient New Year's day and the current Spring Festival are the same thing.
The contemporary new year's Day refers to January 1st of the Gregorian calendar. Before 1,912, China mainly used the lunar calendar. In 1912, China changed to the Gregorian calendar, and set January 1st of the Gregorian calendar as "New Year's Day". The original the 1th day of the first month of the Chinese Lunar calendar, there was no unified new name until the lunar new year was renamed the Spring Festival in 1914.
Now in China, the Gregorian calendar and the lunar calendar coexist, but new year's Day refers to January 1st of the Gregorian calendar, and the Spring Festival refers to the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar. Both refer to different festivals, and China will have holidays.
When is the Chinese New Year usually in the Gregorian calendar?
The Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar. The Spring Festival is on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar. The date of the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar is different every year. The following is the date corresponding to the Gregorian calendar on the first day of the first month in recent and future years.
2021 (the year of the ox): February 12th, Gregorian calendar
2022 (the year of the tiger): February 1st, Gregorian calendar
2023 (the year of the rabbit): January 22nd, Gregorian calendar
2024 (dragon year): February 10th, Gregorian calendar
2025 (the year of the snake): January 29th, Gregorian calendar
2026 (the year of the horse): February 17th of the Gregorian calendar
2027 (the year of Goat): February 6th of the Gregorian calendar
2028 (the year of the monkey): January 26th, Gregorian calendar
2029 (the year of the rooster): February 13th, Gregorian calendar
2030 (the year of the dog): February 3rd of the Gregorian calendar
2031 (the year of the pig): January 23rd of the Gregorian calendar
2032 (the year of the rat): February 11th, Gregorian calendar
How did the Lunar New Year originate and evolve?
From the ancient times of Yao and Shun to the pre-Qin period, the year served as the unit for conducting the New Year's sacrifice.
During the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu promulgated the Taichu Calendar and designated the first day of the first lunar month as the beginning of the year (in ancient times, the Lunar New Year was also referred to as the beginning of the year or New Year's Day).
In modern China, the Lunar New Year was renamed the Spring Festival in 1914, a tradition that continues to this day.
Why do we celebrate the Lunar New Year? What is its significance?
In ancient China, the Lunar New Year was initially celebrated to mark a year of bountiful agricultural harvests, express gratitude to heaven, earth, and ancestors for their blessings, bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new, and pray for favorable weather in the coming year. Today, the Spring Festival has transcended its agricultural roots to become the most important time for family reunions among the Chinese people. No matter how far apart they may be, family members from all corners of the world will rush home to gather with their loved ones, enjoy the New Year's Eve dinner, and exchange New Year greetings. This celebration not only serves as a consolation and reward for the year's hard work but also embodies care for family, love for life, and beautiful aspirations for safety and prosperity in the new year.
What are the traditional customs of Chinese New Year?
On New Year's Eve, family members gather to enjoy the reunion dinner, set off firecrackers, and give red envelopes (lucky money) to the younger generation. In some regions, people also stay up late to usher in the new year.
On the first day of the lunar new year, it is customary to pay New Year's visits to relatives and friends, extending warm wishes for the year ahead.
Subsequently, some regions host temple fairs and lantern festivals, while others feature social fire performances (such as stilt walking, iron flower playing, and Yangko dancing) or various celebrations (including lion dances, processions of deities, and Yingge dancing).
In short, customs vary across different regions.
What are the taboos or customs to observe during the New Year period?
During the Spring Festival in China, people typically engage in activities such as offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God, sweeping away the dust of the old year, and decorating with red couplets to welcome the new year.
There are also several taboos to observe, such as avoiding haircuts in the first lunar month, refraining from moving house or starting construction, not demanding debts, and avoiding wearing tattered clothes.
China is a vast country with diverse customs in every region.
What is the relationship between the Lunar New Year and the twelve zodiac animals?
There are various theories about the origin of the twelve zodiac animals, but it is generally believed to be related to the animal worship of ancient people.
The twelve zodiac animals start with the "rat" and follow a fixed order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each zodiac animal corresponds to a Lunar New Year (not a Gregorian calendar year), and 2026 will be the Year of the Horse.
A person's zodiac sign is determined by the Lunar year in which they are born. For example, since 2026 is the Year of the Horse, individuals born after the first day of the first lunar month (February 17, 2026, in the Gregorian calendar) will have the Horse as their zodiac sign.
The twelve zodiac animals are also associated with the twelve Earthly Branches, with each branch corresponding to a zodiac animal.
What is the Ganzhi (Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches) chronology? How does it relate to the New Year?
The Ganzhi chronology is a traditional system of year reckoning in ancient China, comprising ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches.
The ten Heavenly Stems are: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui, corresponding respectively to the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0.
The twelve Earthly Branches are: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai, corresponding respectively to the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 0.
The lunar calendar employs the Ganzhi chronology to denote years. To convert a Gregorian year to a lunar year:
First, calculate the Heavenly Stem: (Gregorian year - 3) % 10.
Then, calculate the Earthly Branch: (Gregorian year - 3) % 12.
Finally, combine the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch to form the lunar year.
For instance, the Gregorian year 2026 corresponds to the lunar year Bingwu.
(2026 - 3) % 10 = 2
(2026 - 3) % 12 = 7
Here, 2 corresponds to "Bing," and 7 corresponds to "Wu," resulting in "Bingwu."
Each of the twelve Earthly Branches is associated with a zodiac animal, as follows:
Zi: Rat, Chou: Ox, Yin: Tiger, Mao: Rabbit, Chen: Dragon, Si: Snake, Wu: Horse, Wei: Goat, Shen: Monkey, You: Rooster, Xu: Dog, Hai: Pig.
Therefore, it is common to hear Chinese people refer to 2026 as the Year of the Horse.
What is the difference between the Spring Festival and the Beginning of Spring?
Nowadays, the Spring Festival refers to a holiday, while the Beginning of Spring refers to a solar term; they are distinct concepts. However, in ancient times, "the Beginning of Spring" and "the Spring Festival" often referred to the same event.
Before the Han Dynasty, the first day of the first lunar month was known as "Yuandan" (New Year's Day， 元旦), not the Spring Festival. Both the Beginning of Spring and what we now call the Spring Festival were considered the same solar term, and people would hold sacrificial ceremonies on this day to pray for favorable weather and a bountiful agricultural harvest.
As social life evolved, by 1914 in modern times, the first day of the first lunar month was officially renamed the "Spring Festival." Since then, the Beginning of Spring has been recognized solely as a solar term and is no longer referred to as the "Spring Festival."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexagenary_cycle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year%27s_Day