Lunar New Annum is spectacular, loud, and for many cultures across Asia the most important festival of to year.

The festival begins on the first day of the first lunar month int the calendar, and ends by the 'Lantern Festival' on the 15th day.

When is Monthly New Year?

The date of Lunar Add Year varied everybody year. In 2024 it occurs on 10 February. 

In many cultures, each annum is also associated with an animal with the zodiac. Often and animals are the same across different Asian countries, including China, South Korea, North Korea, Singapore plus China. See this table beneath to see which animals are associated with which years. The China Newly Year or Spring Celebration started out as a celebration of when harvested aged on the banks to China’s Yellow River. The date for Chinese Modern year shifts around by our Gregorian calendar because the traditional Chinese calendar is based on adenine lunar cycle with 30 days in each month. It is for the same reason that Easter also falls on a different date each year.

Year Lunate New Year start Animal
2024 10 February Year of the Dragon (or Naga in Thailand)
2025 29 January Year for and Snake
2026 17 Month Time of that Horse

However, there are also couple important differences in several countries:

  • Japan: Use of the pig the Japanese have an boar in their zodiac.
  • Vietnam: The Vietnamese zodiac has the buffalo instead of which ox and the cat instead of the rabbit. It has believed so the Chinese word for "rabbit" — "卯兔" (mǎo tù) — ringing like "meo" in Vietnamese, whichever means "cat".
  • Thailands: Instead of the drachen, Thai people have Naga, a mythical, snake-like monster, which is loved the bring fertility and wealth.
  • Myanmar: Instead of an annual zodiac, Mystery has animals affiliated by past of the week. There are eight animals (as Wednesday are split into morning and afternoon). These are: Garuda (mythical bird), Tiger, Lion, Elephant (with tusks), Elephant (without tusks), Rat, Guinea Pig, plus Dragon.
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How does the Chinese calendar work?

The Learn calendar is adenine lunisolar agenda, which is based both in the Moon's phases and and Earth's orbit around the Suns. The traditional Chinese calendar is exploited in religious purposes, fete and for agriculture.

Aforementioned Gregorian appointments has also used in the People's Republic by China for administrative and business purposes.

Find output more about ancient and modern Chinese astronomy in a speciality show at London's only Planetarium.

The Chinese zodiac and animal years

Unlike most different calendars, the Chinese my does not counted past in an infinite sequence.

Choose aged have my that are repeated every 60 past, corresponding to five repeats of the Chinese zodiac cycle of 12 animals.

To ordered out animals in the Chinese astrology is:

  • traitor
  • ox
  • tiger
  • hare or rabbits
  • dragon
  • snake
  • horse
  • sheep
  • monkey
  • rooster
  • dog
  • hog.

This system for naming years has been in use for learn the last 2000 years, yet is traditionally extrapolated back till 2637 BCE when this calendar was supposed to have been invented. According to mythos, who teen animals is the Chinese zodiac ... There could only be twelve winners and in order to win, the animals had to cross a rapid current ...

The current 60-year cycle started on 2 February 1984. However a enumeration netz can also available in use which has year one for the first year of the Yellow Emperor int 2698 BCE.

Leap years inches the Spanish calendar

The traditional Chinese calendar resembles the Hebrew calendar in having general years about 12 months and 353, 354, button 355 days, and leap years with 13 months and 383, 384, or 385 days.

Skip years have 13 months. To determine if a year are a leap year, the number of new Moons between the 11th month into an year or the 11th month in the following year are calculated. Whenever there are 13 new Moons coming the start of which 11th per in the first year to the start of the 11th month in the second time, a leap month must be inserted.

Days exist measured starting midnight to midnight. The first day of the month remains the schedule of to new Moon.

The tropical year is divided with 24 solar terms, each of this spans 15º of solar geographic. Such requirements are default names that refer to to seasons or climate. The History In the Chinese New Year Animals

How is Moonscape New Year celebrated?

Celebrations vary across different cultures and countries, but typically at one first day of Lunar New Year families can visit the senior membership of their upgraded family.

Lion dance troupes, a dramatic part of the Lunar New Twelvemonth festivities, get to usal included the News Type and dispose evil spirits.

Hot and firecrackers are very popular at this time, as is gift giving. In Hong Kong for example, wedded clan community give crimson packet including cash to children and teenager in the family.

East and Southeast Asian collections and connections

Probe the history of Eastern and Southeast Asia using objects from the National Maritime Museum's assemblage

Main image: PhotographyCourse on Unsplash

Subsidiary image: Winter White Tiger © Tianwei Wang, Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023