The short answer is because the Japanese government does not designate the old lunisolar new year as a public holiday. Officially, China does in fact celebrate New Year's Day (元旦) on the Western (Gregorian) 1 January. In contrast, the traditional lunar new year is a public holiday named Spring Festival (春节). The Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year is usually celebrated between late January and February, during the first new moon. This year, it will be on Wednesday, January 2025. But if you’re in Japan, you may be wondering, “Does Japan celebrate Chinese New Year?” Here’s what you should know. Does Japan Celebrate Chinese New Year? In modern Japan, the Gregorian New Year is celebrated, so the Lunar New Year is not a part of most Japanese people’s lives. Most Japanese people are unaware of the Lunar New Year and only hear about it mostly as Chinese New Year on the TV news. Lunar New Year is the beginning of a new year based on lunar calendars or, informally but more widely, lunisolar calendars.Typically, both types of calendar begin with a new moon but, whilst a lunar calendar year has a fixed number (usually twelve) lunar months, lunisolar calendars have a variable number of lunar months, resetting the count periodically to resynchronise with the solar year. "Chinese New Year" and "Lunar New Year" can have different dates. There are countries who share the interpretation of the Chinese calendar , such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, and therefore celebrate their Lunar New Year at the same (or almost same) time. Memphis Lunar New Year Fair at the Agricenter will be on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets for the event are $15. The event will feature traditional Lion and Dragon dances, live Here is our annual guide to help you understand New Year customs in Japan. 2025 is the Year of the Snake, according to the Chinese zodiac. New Year’s Eve - Omisoka (大晦日) Omisoka is the Japanese expression for New Year’s Eve. Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is a major festival celebrated at the beginning of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. Thought to have originated in ancient China around 3,500 years ago, it is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture, marking the end of winter and the beginning of the new year. Restaurants are closed, but leading up to the New Year, tuck into heaping plates of dumplings (饺子, jiao zi)—which sounds like 交子 (jiāo zi); the second symbol, 交 (jiao) means "exchange By reading the major differences between Chinese Lunar New Year and Western New Year, you will get to know more about Chinese culture. If you are a cultural buff, it’s worthwhile to have a tour during Chinese Lunar New Year. See our sample tours for some inspiration. Explore China during Chinese Lunar New Year . 9 Days Chinese New Year Tour After living in China for 3 years as V-Trust Sales Manager and 1 year in Vietnam as V-Trust Country Manager, I am happy to share my experience and feelings, even if, for sure, I don’t know everything and they may not be exhaustive. Chinese New Year and the Vietnamese New Year (called Tết in Vietnam) actually have a lot in common. Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese celebrates the Lunar New Year, but how are they different? Also, how are their new years connected to the Japanese? This vide The key difference between the Lunar New Year and Chinese New Year is while the Lunar New Year is the broader term associated with the start of a new year on the lunar calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon, the Chinese New Year refers to the cultural traditions associated with celebrations within mainland China and Taiwan. The Lunar New Year is traditionally a time for food, festivities, and family gatherings. It is celebrated in many countries, including China, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. The main differences between Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year are as follows: 1. Cultural Significance 2. Customs and Traditions 3. Dates and Duration 4. Regional Unlike the American New Year, the Chinese New Year is celebrated continually for 15 days after New Year’s Day, when the first full moon of the year occurs. In preparation for such an extensive celebration, all houses are cleaned to sweep away bad spirits and decorated to reflect the commemoration of the new year. China wanted to do everything Western, so it celebrated the January 1 New Year. In fact, in 1949, the Communist Party forbade the celebration of the traditional Chinese New Year. However, by the 1980s, new Chinese leaders had a change of heart and allowed the celebration of the traditional Chinese New Year. Yeah grew up knowing it's Chinese New year and everywhere the short form is CNY. Also well known in Singapore each ethnicity gets 2 days of public holidays. Toyotomi Hideyoshi is a Japanese name. Zheng He is a Chinese name. Notice how both parts of the Chinese name have one syllable, and the Japanese name ends in vowels and has 4 and 3 syllables. The difference between the two languages is that Japanese is fast and uses a lot a beats while Chinese is smooth and passes by easily.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |