The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February.
Marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season, observances traditionally take place from Chinese New Year's Eve, the evening preceding the first day of the year, to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. In Chinese, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival (traditional Chinese: 春節 simplified Chinese: 春节 pinyin: Chūnjié) as the spring season in the lunisolar calendar traditionally starts with lichun, the first of the twenty-four solar terms which the festival celebrates around the time of the Chinese New Year. 'Chinese New Year' in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese charactersĬhinese New Year is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar.
