Chinese New Year Countdown

Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival (春节, Chūnjié), is the most important traditional festival in China and a major celebration across East and Southeast Asia. It marks the beginning of the lunisolar Chinese calendar and falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice — a date that varies each year, typically between January 21 and February 20. With a history spanning over 3,500 years, the Spring Festival originated in ancient China as a celebration to honor ancestors and deities, ward off evil spirits and monsters (notably the mythical beast Nian), and welcome in a new agricultural year. The festival lasts 15 days, culminating in the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Each year is associated with one of 12 zodiac animals — the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig — cycling in a 12-year pattern. Traditional Chinese New Year customs include thorough house cleaning (sweeping away bad luck), decorating with red lanterns and paper cutouts, wearing new red clothing, family reunion dinners on New Year's Eve (reuniting with relatives for the most important meal of the year), giving red envelopes (红包, hóngbāo) filled with money to children and unmarried adults, setting off fireworks to drive away evil spirits, and visiting temples. The holiday is celebrated by approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide — including large Chinese diaspora communities in Southeast Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe — making it the world's most widely observed cultural holiday.

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