On February 10th, the Chinese celebrated the arrival of year 4,722, the year of the dragon. While much of the world celebrates the new year on December 31st and according to the Gregorian calendar, China celebrates the “Lunar New Year” on the day the second new moon appears after winter solstice – an astronomical phenomenon that marks the beginning of winter around June 21st in the Southern hemisphere and around December 21st in the Northern hemisphere. Since the festival is based on the phases of the Moon, there is no preset date for Chinese New Year. It changes every year, but always takes place between the end of January and the beginning of February.

HOW DOES CHINA’S LUNAR CALENDAR WORK?

There are 12 lunations (the period between two new moons), totaling approximately 354 days. To keep track of the seasons, marked by the Earth’s position relative to the Sun, adjustments are made from time to time. For this reason, the calendar can also be thought of as “lunisolar”, since it is based on the Moon and the Sun.

Currently, China also uses the Gregorian calendar for commercial reasons, for example.

CELEBRATIONS

Although it is known as the Chinese New Year, the event is celebrated all over the world with festivals in most of East Asia — a region that includes countries such as South Korea and Japan. Also, Chinese communities on other continents continue to celebrate the tradition.

In China, thousands of people travel across the country to meet with relatives. This process of domestic travel is considered the largest annual human migration in the world. In 2024, according to the Chinese government, 474 million domestic (within the country) trips were taken.

This period is also known as the “Spring Festival” or “Spring Migration” and features fi reworks, colorful lights, lanterns that are released into the sky and traditional dishes. While New Year’s Day is an official three-day holiday, celebrations can last up to a month.

THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON

According to the Chinese horoscope, every year is represented by an animal. The dragon is a symbol of new challenges, courage, and times of strength.

PHASES OF THE MOON

The main ones are the new, the growing, the full, and the waning moon. But there are four other intermediate phases. A complete lunar cycle, with all its phases, is approximately 29.5 days.

GLOSSARY

GREGORIAN CALENDAR: the most commonly used in the world, it counts the years using the time it takes the Earth to go around the Sun – find out more on page 16. It was created in Europe in 1582, by Pope Gregory VIII.

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