What is Lunar New Year?
Lunar New Year is commonly referred to as Chinese New Year but this celebration is also being observed in other countries like Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam.
Are these two events the same? Sometimes, these terms also being associated with the Spring Festival. The Chinese New Year is a celebration in which Chinese traditions and culture are being observed. However, the Lunar New Year is more inclusive and encompasses all celebrations that mark the new year according to the lunisolar calendar, based on the article in Reader’s Digest
In America, the Gregorian calendar by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 is being followed but there are still a lot of countries that use other calendars when it comes to the holidays they observe. This event is being celebrated during the first days of spring on the lunar calendar.
The lunar calendar tracks the cycles of the moon, instead of tracking the Earth’s orbit around the sun which is a little over 365 days.
In a lunar calendar, a year is 12 full cycles of the moon and this is approximately 354 days. This is followed by the Hijri calendar or the Islamic calendar. However, the Chinese lunar calendar, as well as Hindu, Jewish, and other calendars observe the lunisolar cycle.
In the lunisolar cycle, an adjustment of an extra month is being done when it drifts too far from the solar calendar. This means that the Lunar New Year falls on a different day of the Gregorian calendar each year.
This year, this celebration will fall on February 10, Saturday. In 2025, this will be on Wednesday, Jan. 29 while a year after that, the celebration will fall on Tuesday, Feb. 17. For 2027, the new year in the lunisolar calendar will be on Sunday, Feb. 7.
Aside from China, Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea, the Lunar New Year is also being celebrated in some areas in the US where there are Asian populations.
Can’t get over the holidays? Binge-watch Hallmark Christmas movies.