When is Chinese New Year?
In 2022, Chinese New Year (CNY) is February 1, and festivities continue for over a week.
Unlike New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations, always celebrated on December 31 and January 1 (the last day of the calendar year and the first day of the following calendar year), Chinese New Year does not have the same date every year.
Instead, CNY occurs anytime between January 21 and February 20. CNY begins at sunset on the second full moon after the Winter Solstice, December 21.
Why does the date change?
The date changes for Chinese New Year because the celebration follows a lunar calendar.
What is a lunar calendar?
A lunar calendar is the cycle of the moon. As the moon orbits the Earth, the sun shines on the moon. We see only the part of the moon that the sun is shining on. As the cycle begins, we go from darkness to seeing just a little curved sliver called a “crescent” moon. Then gradually start to see one entire side called a “full” moon. From that point, we see more crescent moons until darkness returns, and the cycle begins again with a “new” moon.
Scientifically, this process is called a lunation and denotes one full circle of the moon around the Earth taking roughly 30 days to complete.
Chinese New Year occurs on the first new moon’s date during the first month of the new lunar year. Because of the mathematics involved, the new moon begins somewhere between January 21 and February 20. That explains why Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.
In 2020, CNY celebrations occurred on January 25, but in 2021, Chinese New Year fell on February 12. In 2022, people celebrate the holiday on February 1.
How is Chinese New Year Celebrated?
CNY is one of the most important holidays in China and for Chinese people worldwide. New York City and San Francisco have some of the biggest CNY parades in the United States. CNY, also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is loaded with symbolism. The year 2022 is the “Year of the Tiger.”
Like calendar New Year’s festivities, the celebrations welcome the start of another year. Rituals begin with cleaning the house, putting up decorations, and food preparation ahead of time. It is a time meant to reconnect with family and friends, perhaps at dim sum.
People often dress up in red and exchange little red envelopes expressing appreciation. Red symbolizes good luck and prosperity in Chinese culture.
Dancing
The Lion Dance and the Dragon Dance are routinely performed.
In the Lion Dance, two participants hide under a lion costume. About nine lions (sets) parade around as the smiling buddha nudges them.
In contrast, about 10-15 participants hide under a single long dragon train in the Dragon Dance.
Both dances ward off evil spirits for the year ahead.
Cuisine
As with any holiday, CNY is a time for eating delicious treats. A favorite food delicacy is glutinous or sticky rice balls, Tang Yuan, made from rice flour, filled with bean paste, and boiled or fried.
Eating dumplings is said to bring wealth.
Explain the “Year of” Stuff
In China, a person’s birth “year” matters the most to determine their sign or symbol and, therefore, traits and characteristics in the Chinese Zodiac. They even take it down to the time of the day and day of the week.
The two-level Chinese Zodiac is called Sheng Xiao (pronounced shing shower), with Sheng meaning “year” and Xiao referring to “a resemblance.”
The first layer is a 12-year cycle that begins with a Rat and goes through 11 other animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Classical elements denote the second layer beginning with metal (i.e., gold), water, wood, fire, and Earth. The designated symbol repeats itself for two years, creating a ten-year cycle.
Overall, the combinations create a 60-year cycle. For example, a person born in 1962, the year of the water tiger, would not come around again until 2022.
What Does the Year of the (Water) Tiger Signify?
The combination of the animal and the element denotes an individual’s personality attributes like astrology signs in the Western Zodiac. The tiger is aggressive, courageous, candid, and sensitive, while the water indicates learning ability, self-esteem, and a true knowledge seeker.
Origins of the Chinese Zodiac
The Western Zodiac, based on astronomy, i.e., the constellations in the night sky, derives its names from Greek mythology. In contrast, the Chinese Zodiac symbols have their roots in various legends.
For example, one story spins the tale that the animal kingdom held a race. The early riser Rat hitched a ride on the back of the Ox upon crossing a riverbed but then dashed ahead to win the race. Thus, the Rat and the Ox are the first two animals to begin the Chinese Zodiac.
Another story is that the animals competed to be bodyguards for the emperor. The winning contestants were awarded their place on the Zodiac among the various competitions. While entirely fictional, these tales make for fun folklore passed down to future generations.
The animal signs differ between various Chinese minority groups and other Asian cultures. For example, the cat replaces the rabbit in the Vietnamese Zodiac.
Who is Chang’e?
As mentioned earlier, a lunar calendar is the foundation of CNY. The lunar connection brings us to the Chinese fairy tale of Chang’e (also spelled Chang-e), the Moon Goddess. The story is said to trace back to the Shang dynasty (the second dynasty in Chinese history of which there are 13).
The Story of Chang’e
Chang’e lives on the moon like the Westerner’s “man in the moon,” but several oral histories debate how that came to be. One version is that she and her husband Houyi, the Archer, were immortals in heaven. One day, ten suns appeared burning the Earth, so Houyi shot down nine of them. As it turned out, the “suns” were the emperor’s sons in disguise, and so the couple was banished to live as mortals on Earth.
Distraught, Houyi went looking for the cure to give them immortality again. He found it in the form of a pill of which you only needed to eat one half. He brought the elixir back and told Chang’e not to touch it. But one day, when he was away, Chang’e found it. Upon hearing her husband’s return, she popped the entire pill into her mouth and began floating away. Houyi could not bear to shoot her down, so Chang’e ended up landing and living on the moon.
Chang’e companions on the moon are Jade Rabbit and Wu Gang, a woodcutter, each with their own mythologies. In Asian culture, the evening of a new moon is a time for reflection and storytelling.
What and When is the Lantern Festival?
Fifteen days from the new moon in the first lunar month marks the Festival of Lanterns, which in 2022 is February 15. The Lantern Festival evolved from its own set of lore.
One story is that a heavenly king sent his beloved bird to Earth, but the Earth people thought it was a beast, so they killed it. Enraged, the king sent warriors to ravage the village. A wise elder came up with hanging red lanterns and shooting firecrackers. Upon arriving, the warriors saw smokiness and heard firecracker noise. The warriors thought the town was already on fire and went back to heaven without destroying the village. The tradition of decorating with red lanterns comes from this tale to ward off evil spirits.
Did You Know?
During the first moon landing in 1969, a conversation between Houston control center and Apollo 11 featured a reference to the story of Chang’e to which astronaut Michael Collins responded, “Okay. We’ll keep a close eye out for the bunny girl.”
What are your favorite foods to eat during Chinese New Year? What other traditions occur during this holiday?
