Chinese New Year 2023: when does it start and end

Chinese New Year has long been the main and longest holiday in China and other countries of East Asia. Unlike its Western counterpart, there is no fixed start date for the Chinese New Year, and each year it is set at a different time.

The first day of the holiday in China falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (that is, after December 21). In the Gregorian calendar, this usually corresponds to one of the days between January 21st and February 21st. The celebration usually lasts 15 days.

Thus, the next year according to the Chinese calendar will come January 22 2023 years. And it is planned to celebrate its offensive in China from January 22 to February 5.

When does Chinese New Year start?

The second new moon after the winter solstice January 22. This time will be considered the beginning of the New Year according to the Eastern calendar. By the way, in China they will celebrate not the year 2023, as we did quite recently, but the year 4720.

The end of the year according to the Chinese calendar 9 February 2024 year.

Symbol of the year

Every year in China is symbolized by a combination that repeats only once every 60 years. This combination represents one of the 12 zodiac animals of a certain color corresponding to one of the five elements (water, earth, metal, fire and wood). The Chinese New Year 2023 will be symbolized by the animal Rabbit and the element Water, and the main colors of the year will be black and blue.

By the way, every 60-year circle begins with a wooden Rat and ends with a water Pig. The next such circle started on February 2, 1984, and will end on January 29, 2044.

Holiday traditions

According to an ancient myth, at the beginning of each new year, the Chinese are forced to hide from a monster called Nian (translated from Chinese as “Year”), which is believed to appear on the first day of the holiday, in order to devastate all the settlements: eat all the livestock and harvested crops, along with a couple of villagers.

To protect their homes from this monster, the Chinese decorate them in advance: they paste them on the outside with beautiful red paper patterns, paired inscriptions and paintings with wishes for happiness, health and longevity, and also hang red lanterns. Again, the legend about the origin of the holiday will help to understand what this love for red is connected with. It says that once people noticed how Nian, who usually loves to eat children, was frightened of a child in red clothes. Without thinking twice, eyewitnesses of this amazing incident came to the conclusion that it was the color that scared the monster away.

In addition, on the eve of the holiday, each family carefully cleans their homes, believing that in this way they cleanse their lives of any failures and make room for happiness.

Festive feast

On New Year’s Eve, Chinese families usually gather around the table. By the way, in the Celestial Empire it is customary to richly set the table for a festive dinner. Housewives, as a rule, prepare the most favorite dishes in the family. Traditionally, there must be meat and fish on the table, as well as dumplings (jiaozi), which are a figurative embodiment of one of the main wishes – the birth of sons.

Moreover, by the gala dinner, even those family members who work or study in other cities or countries return home. All Chinese strive to celebrate the New Year with their parents, and therefore, on the eve of the holiday, all transport in the country is overcrowded and it is simply impossible to buy tickets.

The festive night ends with fireworks and firecrackers, which, it is believed, should scare away evil spirits and bring peace and happiness to the family.

First days of Chinese New Year

In the early morning of the next day, children congratulate their parents, wishing them good health and a happy New Year, and in return they receive wishes for future success and red envelopes with money.

After that, the whole family goes to congratulate relatives and neighbors. The first five days of the new year are usually completely spent on such visits to guests.

And, of course, not without gifts. For example, in the Celestial Empire, it is customary to give gifts from paired items, symbolizing unity and family harmony (at the same time, the number four is considered unlucky, since the Chinese associate it with death).

In addition, when visiting, it is customary for the hosts to present two tangerines, and when leaving, receive two other tangerines from them. Thus, the hosts and guests exchange symbols of financial well-being, which, according to the Chinese, are tangerines.

holiday performances

Having visited all relatives and neighbors, the Chinese go to festivities with traditional dances. These include the lion dance (dancers, while inside the figure of a lion, imitate the movements of this animal) and the dragon dance (a special team of people, holding a dragon made of paper on poles, moves in such a way that the snake-like body makes wave-like movements).

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