23 Facts About Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar.

Chinese calendar defines the lunar month containing the winter solstice as the eleventh month, meaning that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice.

Han Chinese started the custom of visiting acquaintances' homes and wishing each other a happy new year.

In 1928, the ruling Kuomintang party decreed that the Chinese New Year would fall on 1 Jan of the Gregorian Calendar, but this was abandoned due to overwhelming popular opposition.

Chinese New Year is observed as a public holiday in some countries and territories where there is a sizable Chinese population.

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Since Chinese New Year falls on different dates on the Gregorian calendar every year on different days of the week, some of these governments opt to shift working days in order to accommodate a longer public holiday.

In some countries, a statutory holiday is added on the following work day if the New Year falls on a weekend, as in the case of 2013, where the New Year's Eve falls on Saturday and the New Year's Day on Sunday.

Day before the Chinese New Year usually accompanied with a dinner feast, consisting of special meats are served at the tables, as a main course for the dinner and as an offering for the New Year.

Chinese New Year is celebrated annually in many countries which houses significant Chinese populations.

Chinese New Year is a national public holiday in many Southeast Asian countries and considered to be one of the most important holidays of the year.

Chinese New Year's Eve is typically a half-day holiday in Malaysia, while Chinese New Year is a two-day public holiday.

In 2012, Chinese New Year was included in public holidays in the Philippines, which is only New Year's Day itself.

In Indonesia, the Chinese New Year is officially named Tahun Baru Imlek, or Sin Cia in Hokkien.

In Indonesia, the first day of the Chinese New Year is recognized as a part of the celebration of the Chinese religion and tradition of Chinese community.

In Indonesia, the Chinese Year is named as a year of Kongzi or Kongzili in Indonesian.

The Chinese New Year is the only national religious holiday in Indonesia that was enacted specifically with the Presidential Decree, in this case with the Keputusan Presiden Republik Indonesia No 19 Tahun 2002 dated on 9 April 2002.

Usually, the Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist Chinese New Year will burn a big incense made by aloeswood with dragon-decorated at front of their house.

The Chinese New Year temple is open 24 hours at the first day, their distributes a red envelopes and sometimes rice, fruits or sugar to the poor around.

Chinese New Year is observed as a public holiday in Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Satun and Songkhla Provinces.

In Pakistan, the Chinese New Year is celebrated among the sizable Chinese expatriate community that lives in the country.

Chinese New Year culture in Mauritius is an important component of the multiculturalism in Mauritius.

Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as in Mandarin or in Cantonese, loosely translated as auspicious words or phrases.

New Year couplets printed in gold letters on bright red paper, referred to as chunlian or fai chun, is another way of expressing auspicious new year wishes.