How the Moon Defines the Celebration Date
Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is one of the most important celebrations in China and many Asian cultures. Unlike the Western New Year, which always occurs on January 1, the Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar and falls on a different date each year. The relationship between Chinese New Year and the moon is essential, as this event is always celebrated on the second new moon after the winter solstice, marking the beginning of a new lunar cycle.
The Lunar Calendar and the Chinese New Year Celebration
The Chinese lunar calendar is divided into 12 lunar months, each lasting about 29.5 days, making a lunar year about 354 days long, 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar. This causes an annual shift in dates and is the reason why Chinese New Year falls on different days between the end of January and mid-February. Each year, the Spring Festival coincides with an animal of the Chinese zodiac, in a 12-year cycle, which symbolizes unique and distinct characteristics.
Chinese New Year dates from 2010 to 2025
- 2010 – February 14 (Year of the Tiger)
- 2011 – February 3 (Year of the Rabbit)
- 2012 – January 23 (Year of the Dragon)
- 2013 – February 10 (Year of the Snake)
- 2014 – January 31 (Year of the Horse)
- 2015 – February 19 (Year of the Goat)
- 2016 – February 8 (Year of the Monkey)
- 2017 – January 28 (Year of the Rooster)
- 2018 – February 16 (Year of the Dog)
- 2019 – February 5 (Year of the Pig)
- 2020 – January 25 (Year of the Rat)
- 2021 – February 12 (Year of the Ox)
- 2022 – February 1 (Year of the Tiger)
- 2023 – January 22 (Year of the Rabbit)
- 2024 – February 10 (Year of the Dragon)
- 2025 – January 29 (Year of the Snake)