Chinese New Year or the Lunar New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It occurs every year on the new moon of the first lunar month, about four to eight weeks before spring.  It is often called the Spring Festival. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year’s Eve is known as Chuxi. It literally means “Year-pass Eve”.

The exact date of Chinese New Year may fall anytime between 21 January and 21 February (inclusive) of the Gregorian Calendar. According to Chinese tradition, the Chinese calendar are cycle every 60 years, which are the combination of one of twelve Earthly Branches, represented by an animal, and one of ten Heavenly Stems, which correspond to the five elements.

Celebrated in areas with large populations of ethnic Chinese, Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday.  The countries that had extensive interaction with Chinese such as Koreans, Mongolians, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and other countries or regions with significant Han Chinese populations, Chinese New Year is also celebrated, and has, to varying degrees, become part of the traditional culture of these countries.

It is a tradition that families thoroughly clean the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck.  On the Eve of Chinese New Year, families and friends will gather together for a feast.  Early the New Year morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a “Gong Hay Fat Choy” which means “Good Fortune to You.”  For the single young Chinese, they will receive cash in red paper envelopes from married family members and friends.

The Chinese New Year tradition is a great way to celebrate the new and reconcile peace and happiness for everyone