Lunar New Year

Billions of people around the world celebrate a new year based on the moon. This is often called Lunar New Year. Some people use a purely lunar calendar. These calendars have twelve lunar months every year. Because these months are shorter than the sun's cycle, the date changes each year. Other people use a lunisolar calendar. This type of calendar follows both the moon and the sun. To stay in step with the seasons, it adds a thirteenth month every few years. This is called a leap month.

Different cultures have their own ways of picking the first day. In East Asia, many use the Chinese calendar. This is a lunisolar calendar. The new year usually happens on the second new moon after the winter solstice. Sometimes it is the third new moon if a leap month was added. People in Vietnam and Korea often celebrate on the same day. They use variations of this calendar. In South and Southeast Asia, many people use the Buddhist calendar. For them, the new year happens in mid-April.

In the Middle East, celebrations follow different paths. The Islamic New Year uses a purely lunar calendar called the Hijri calendar. It has twelve lunar months. Because it does not follow the sun, the date moves through the seasons. In 2023, it fell in July. In 2025, it is expected in June. Judaism also has many new year observances. One is Rosh Hashanah, which is a new year for kings and pilgrimages. Another is Tu BiShvat, known as the New Year for Trees. On this day, every tree ages by one year.

History shows us how these traditions grew over a long time. The Chinese New Year has roots going back over 4,000 years. Long ago, people gathered at the end of the autumn harvest. A poem from the Western Zhou period describes people toasting guests with wine. They also cooked meat and cheered for long lives. Later, during the Han dynasty, people celebrated the first day of the first month. They called this day Zheng Ri. Families would worship their ancestors on this day.

Names for these holidays can change depending on where you are. In China, the holiday is often called the Spring Festival. This name has been used since 1912. The term "Lunar New Year" first appeared in a British newspaper in 1865. It was used to talk about a festival in Thailand. In 1968, British Hong Kong officially used the name "Lunar New Year." Today, many people in the United States use this name too. It helps recognize the many different cultures that celebrate together.