Chinese New Year, also known as lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China. Meanwhile, about 2 billion people around the world are also celebrating this festival that is originated from China. 

This year, the Chinese New Year started on Feb 10, we call it the first day of the first lunar calendar.  Last year, the date was Jan 22, and in 2025, the date will be Jan 29. Why does the date of the Chinese New Year change every year? 

Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which divides the year into 12 months and always starts on Jan 1, lunar calendar follows the moon cycle and the lunar New Year begins at the start of a new moon.

The date of lunar New Year changes every year, but it always falls between Jan 21 and Feb 20.

In Chinese culture, this year marks the Year of the Loong. There are a total of 12 zodiac animals, namely rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, loong, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig, to represent each year.

Chinese people believe that the zodiac sign reflects one’s characteristics. If you were born in the Year of the Loong, you are believed to be confident and smart.

The lunar New Year celebration in China will normally last for 15 days. Chinese people will wear new clothes, with red elements, because they regard color red as a sign of luckiness.

Food is an important part of Chinese people’s life, and the New Year is no exception. Chinese people like to eat fish, jiaozi and spring rolls during the festival.

The Spring Festival is also a big day for family reunion. Before the New Year comes, people will travel thousands of kilometers home. And this is what we call a Spring Rush, one of the biggest annual human transportation in the world. This year, an estimated of 9 billion times of travel during the Spring Rush.

One more interesting thing worth mentioning is, Happy New Year is not the most common phrase Chinese people use in their New Year greetings. Instead, they use 恭喜发财, which means congratulations on getting rich. Seem that Chinese people are keen to becoming rich. Where do they get this gene from?

Reporter Yan Yiqi, Xiao Yanyan, Zhao Yaxin