Happy New Year! (Again!)
For the first day of the Chinese New Year, we’re showing the southern fortification of the Xi’an City Wall as it was decorated and lit up for last year’s lunar new year party. The south gate was rebuilt in 2014 and is often used to stage the fireworks show that rings in the Chinese New Year, which falls between late January and early February. Why a different new year celebration date? It comes down to the sun versus the moon: While the widely used Gregorian calendar is based on the Earth’s rotation around the sun, the lunar calendar is marked by the phases of the moon. So, the Gregorian new year always falls on January 1, while the lunar new year date moves around from year to year. Either way, we’re excited to have another excuse to throw a party.

The Chinese New Year also comes with a turn of the zodiac, which is divided into 12 parts, with each part represented by a different animal. Instead of all 12 animals appearing simultaneously, the zodiac system assigns a single animal and its attributes to represent each year, and 2020 is the Year of the Rat. There are 11 more animals to cycle through in the coming years, so if the rat year doesn’t work out, perhaps the Year of the Ox will be more to your liking.

Chinese New Year
Chinese Festival
Chinese New Year, also referred to as Lunar New Year, is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunar calendar. The festival is usually referred to as the Spring Festival in mainland China, and is one of several Lunar New Years in Asia. Observances traditionally take place from the evening preceding the first day of the year to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Lunar New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February. In 2020, the first day of the Lunar New Year will be on Saturday, 25 January, initiating the Year of the Rat.

Also called: Lunar New Year, Spring Festival
2020 date: Saturday, 25 January, Rat
2021 Date: Friday, 12 February, Ox
Observed by: Ethnic Chinese and non-Chinese people worldwide
Frequency: Annual
Date: First day of the first month of the Chinese calendar (between 21 January and 20 February)