Learn a little about the festivities, food and colors of the Lunar New Year and the calendar on which it is based. Although it is often referred to as Chinese New Year, it is celebrated far beyond China, and each country has its own traditions. Lunar New Year is a major holiday celebrated in many Asian countries, including China, Korea and Vietnam. In and beyond China, Lunar New Year has many names. In China it is called the Spring Festival or Chūnjié, in Vietnam it is referred to as Tết and in Korea it is called Seollal.

Lunar New Year marks the beginning of a new year in the lunisolar calendar, which was developed in ancient China. It was adopted by neighboring countries as Chinese culture spread through trade, cultural influence and warfare. For example, in 111 B.C.E., China’s Han Empire took control of the region that is now Vietnam, and Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations were likely introduced to replace local traditions. Over time, people embraced the holiday, and the Vietnamese people continued to celebrate Lunar New Year even after Chinese rule ended.

On the Gregorian calendar, which is in general use across the world, the holiday can fall between January 21 and February 20. The celebration can last anywhere from three to fifteen days and includes family and friends, feasting, fireworks, parties and parades.

How do you wish someone "happy new year" on Lunar New Year? It depends on whom you're talking to. In China, the official language is Mandarin. “Xīn nián kuài lè” is how Mandarin-speakers wish you a happy new year. Cantonese is another common language in China, spoken in South China and Hong Kong. “Gung hay fat choy” is how Cantonese speakers say happy new year; a more literal translation is "wishing you great happiness and prosperity." Korean observers say “Saehae bog manh-i bad-euseyo” meaning “please have a lot of luck in the next year.” “Chúc mừng năm mới” is how Vietnamese people wish others a happy new year.

The Chinese Calendar

For more than 3,000 years, Chinese Lunar New Year was just what it sounds like—the beginning of a new year in the Chinese calendar. The historic Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, meaning dates are determined by both the moon (lunar) and the sun (solar). Months begin with the new moon, when the moon is not visible in the night sky. The new year starts on the new moon nearest the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, which occurs sometime between the third week of January and the third week of February.

China officially adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1912, but the traditional lunar celebrations have continued. In 1949, China reintroduced the holiday as the “Spring Festival” and made it a national holiday.

Chinese Celebrations

Prior to the official start of the holiday, Chinese people undertake a deep cleaning of their homes. This cleaning symbolizes ridding the household of the previous year’s bad luck and making the home welcoming to good luck in the coming year. The night before the holiday starts, people decorate their homes with red lanterns or couplets made of paper. Red is the color of joy and good fortune in Chinese cultures, and it is most strongly associated with new year celebrations. On the first day of the festival, tradition holds that brooms be stored so the newly arrived good luck will not be swept away. These and other Chinese Lunar New Year practices are recorded in an ancient text from about 241 B.C.E.—Master Lü’s Spring and Autumn Annals—but experts believe that the traditions predate this text.

During the first days of Chinese Lunar New Year, younger family members may receive bright red envelopes full of money. These envelopes, known as hong bao (Mandarin) or lai see (Cantonese), are traditionally given to unmarried adults and children. The third day of Chinese Lunar New Year is often quieter than those preceding it. Many believe it is easier to get into fights after two days of celebrating with family, so people traditionally stay home and rest on this day. Some Chinese cultures recognize the seventh day of Chinese Lunar New Year as renri, the creation day of human beings. This day celebrates “everyone’s birthday.”

The beautiful Lantern Festival signals a close to the Chinese Lunar New Year festival. Paper lanterns light the way for lion dances and all-day parades and festivals. The bright lights of the Lantern Festival celebrate the first full moon after the Chinese Lunar New Year. The practice is said to go back to the Han dynasty, when Buddhist monks lit lanterns and candles for Buddha on that day. The tradition spread to non-Buddhist people and became part of Chinese Lunar New Year. Another aspect of the celebration is solving riddles, which are often written on the lanterns themselves.

While many people of Chinese descent around the world celebrate Lunar New Year, not all Chinese cultures celebrate the same way. For example, the Miao, a distinct ethnic group in southwest China, celebrates the new year in November. Miao celebrations are more focused on farming and harvesting than the Lunar New Year celebrations that occur in January and February, but they also include parades, food and spending time with family.

Korean Celebrations

Korean celebrations of Lunar New Year, or Seollal, last three days, starting with the day before New Year’s Day and ending with the day after. Showing respect to elders is a key component of the holiday, so families gather with the oldest members of their families and perform a ritual deep bow to them.

Food is central to the celebration, especially tteokguk, a rice cake soup that symbolizes a fresh start in the new year. Traditional clothing is also important to the festivities. Hanbok are colorful outfits worn by all ages, with women and girls wearing full wraparound skirts.

Like in China, giving gifts of money to children and young adults is part of the Korean celebration. However, while people in China use red envelopes, people in Korea use white envelopes, though the envelopes are similarly patterned and decorated. Families also enjoy playing a traditional Korean game called yut-nor, which involves tossing four wooden dowels onto a board. Depending on how the dowels land, players move pieces forward or backward around the board to get to the end and win.

Vietnamese Celebrations

Vietnamese people start celebrating Tết, or Lunar New Year, on the 23rd of the last month of the lunar year. They believe that throughout the year, deities called Ông Công and Ông Táo (Land Genie and Kitchen Gods, respectively) watch each Vietnamese family. On the 23rd, they gather their observances and report back to heaven or the supreme god. Homes must be cleaned and decorated, often with flowers, for this ritual.

Some of Vietnam’s traditions are similar to those in other countries. Like others who celebrate Lunar New Year, Vietnamese people have food-related traditions. One unique tradition is creating a five-fruit tray. Observers create a beautiful tray of different arranged fruit and place it on display as an offering to their ancestors. As in China, envelopes of money are part of the Lunar New Year Celebration in Vietnam. Vietnamese people give children red envelopes with lì xì or “lucky money.” Like Korean people, Vietnamese people wear traditional clothes—tunics called áo dài—for Tết.