Lunar New Year 2023: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese New Year 2023

Lunar New Year 2023: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese New Year 2023

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JOOi team
Published on 18 Jan 2023 at 1:27 PM
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Nearly 2 billion people celebrate Lunar New Year, commonly known as the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival. Lunar New Year in 2023 comes on January 22, when we will bid the year of the Tiger farewell and welcome the Year of the Rabbit.

Family reunions, parades, and fireworks are traditionally held during this period to commemorate ancestors and gods. Lunar New Year is observed in Asian populations worldwide and is based on the Chinese calendar in Korea, Singapore, Mongolia, Tibet, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

You can get all the information you need about the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rabbit here.

What is the Lunar New Year? 


The Lunar New Year, which signals the end of winter and the beginning of spring, is more than just the start of a new year's calendar. It also symbolizes reunification and rebirth.

A monster would supposedly appear from beneath the Earth at the beginning of each year and devour humans, according to one tradition. Bright lights, loud noises, and the color red were all utilized to drive the monster, known as Nian (Chinese for "year"), from its natural habitat; as a result, these things have come to be linked with the event.

When is Lunar New Year 2023

Numerous Asian cultures have traditionally used a lunisolar calendar, in which the years are solar, but the months are lunar. Every year, the Gregorian calendar places the Lunar New Year on a different day: The New Year begins on January 22, 2023, and Lunar New Year's Eve occurs on January 21.

Even though New Year's festivities frequently begin the weekend before and may go for weeks beyond, only the first 15 days are recognized as public holidays.

On the first full moon of the year, the Lantern Festival signals the conclusion of the New Year celebrations. It arrives on February 5, 2023.

What animal is celebrated in the Lunar New Year 2023?

Each year in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese calendar is associated with one of the following twelve animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

According to the Gregorian calendar, 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit.

The fourth animal in the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit, represents elegance, beauty, kindness, and good fortune. Because of the fabled Jade Rabbit, who resides on the moon, rabbits are also linked with that body of water.

The lunar calendar is centered around a cycle of 10 "heavenly stems," each of which stands for one of the five Taoist elements: fire, Earth, water, wood, and metal. These items are in addition to the 12 zodiac animals. The Year of the Water Tiger was technically in 2022, while the Year of the Water Rabbit is in 2023.

Those with Water year birthdays are reputed to be imaginative, sensitive, and contemplative.

How is Lunar New Year Celebrated 

New Year's celebrations vary significantly across Asian cultures: Vietnamese people celebrate the Lunar New Year, or Tet, by eating special meals such Tht Kho trng (braised pork with duck eggs) and bánh chung (sticky rice cakes), as well as by decorating yellow apricot blooms and other plants.

The Chinese lunisolar calendar's first day, known in Korea as Seollal, is a time for family to gather and exchange presents while enjoying rice cake soup and delicious pancakes.


In China, where it is celebrated with dragon parades, boat races, and fireworks, Americans are typically familiar with Lunar New Year. The Lantern Festival, which occurs at the end of the New Year's season, features sweets like tangyuan, a delicacy made of sticky rice balls, and paper lanterns.

In Indonesia, Lunar New Year is widely celebrated as "Imlek" and makes it through Indonesia's national holidays since the Chinese Indonesian population is known to be relatively high. The unique dishes that are typically enjoyed during this time are fried noodles, yu sheng, mooncakes, and tangerines. 

Red and gold are lucky colors all around Asia. During Lunar New Year, many individuals don red clothing, and kids frequently get red envelopes filled with cash.

Families will host feasts, deep-clean their houses to remember departed family members, and visit shrines.

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