The most important festival in Chinese culture, celebrated for over 3,000 years. Discover its history, traditions, and exact dates from 1936 to 2042.
Also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar.
🌎 Chinese New Year is the most significant and widely celebrated holiday in Chinese culture. With origins dating back over three millennia to the Shang Dynasty, it has evolved from ancient agricultural rituals and ancestor worship into a vibrant festival that brings together over a billion people worldwide.
🌙 Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which follows the solar cycle, the Chinese calendar is lunisolar. This means Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year on the Western calendar, typically landing somewhere between January 21 and February 20. The exact date is determined by the second new moon after the winter solstice.
🐶 Each Chinese New Year ushers in one of the twelve zodiac animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig — cycling through in a fixed order. Combined with the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), this creates a 60-year cycle that has guided Chinese culture for centuries.
🎉 The celebration traditionally lasts 15 days, from New Year's Eve through the Lantern Festival. It is a time for family reunions, honoring ancestors, welcoming good fortune, and letting go of the past year's troubles.
Chinese New Year is rich with traditions that have been passed down through generations, each carrying deep cultural meaning.
The New Year's Eve dinner is the most important meal of the year. Families gather from near and far to share dishes symbolizing prosperity, longevity, and good fortune.
Known as "hongbao," red envelopes filled with money are given to children and unmarried adults. The red color symbolizes luck and is believed to ward off evil spirits.
Setting off fireworks is one of the most iconic Chinese New Year traditions. The loud noises and bright lights are meant to scare away the mythical beast Nian and bring good luck.
These spectacular performances are believed to bring good fortune and drive away bad luck. The dragon dance requires teamwork and skill, symbolizing unity and strength.
Homes and streets are adorned with red lanterns, spring couplets, and paper cuttings. Red is the dominant color of the festival, representing happiness and prosperity.
The festival runs from New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival. Each day has its own customs, from visiting relatives to welcoming the God of Wealth on the fifth day.
Find the exact date of Chinese New Year for any year. Click a year to explore its zodiac animal, element, and full celebration details.