Chinese New Year is one of the most meaningful festivals in many Asian countries, including China, Korea, and Vietnam. Growing up, it was a time for me to connect with family and relatives while celebrating traditions passed down through generations. The festival lasts for twenty-two days before and after the new year, though people typically take seven days off work to celebrate. Each day comes with specific activities to follow and certain taboos to avoid.
What I’ve always found special is how the celebration brings people together, not just in China but among Chinese communities and beyond. Across the world, you’ll see vibrant lion dances, fireworks, red lanterns and red couplets that have ancient Chinese poetry on them. It’s a moment of pride and joy that connects so many of us to our cultural heritage and allows us to share our joy with friends worldwide.
However, the recent debate about whether we should call the holiday “Chinese New Year” or “Lunar New Year” has made me reflect on the broader significance of this holiday. I understand why some prefer “Lunar New Year” — it acknowledges the diverse Asian communities, like Korean, Vietnamese, and others, who also celebrate it in their own ways. But here’s why the good intention of inclusivity does not work when it comes to this issue.
Why Using “Lunar” New YEar is inappropriate
Lunar new year is the incorrect translation. The real Lunar New Year is used by Islamic culture, which means the new year of the lunar calendar normally begins around June. To celebrate the real Lunar New Year, one would be celebrating it on Jun. 26.
The calendar used to calculate the Chinese New Year, or so called “Lunar New Year,” is a lunisolar calendar which is based on the calculation of the true positions of the sun and moon. On the website of the U.S. Naval Observatory, this calendar is called the Chinese Calendar. This lunisolar calendar was invented by the Chinese in 2697 BC and it includes calculations specific to the Chinese geography. In other words, the twenty-four solar terms (astronomical and climate events) in the Chinese lunisolar calendars are specific rules that are only applicable to China due to its wide geographic area. This calendar was later adapted into Korea and Vietnam and became known as the Korean calendar with minor modification due to climate differences.
Inclusivity and History of Chinese New YEar
One must understand the history and differences between cultures to discuss culture-related topics and cultural inclusion. With China’s thousands of years of history, Chūnjié (春节/Spring Festival), or Chinese New Year, dates to the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC – 1046 BC). Chinese New Year has been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) not only for its significance in China but also for its historical and cultural importance worldwide. On Dec. 4, 2025, UNESCO officially inscribed Chinese New Year onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Many elements that you usually see as the poster for “Lunar New Year” are only specific to the Chinese culture. For example, red and yellow are the symbolic colors for Chinese New Year. That is because yellow is the color of the clothes Chinese emperors would wear since Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and it is the color of YuanBao (gold in ancient Chinese terms). Red symbolizes good luck, prosperity, and happiness, and is believed to ward off evil spirits. Now-a-days you can see red in the envelope that elderly give out to the younger generations (Hongbao/Red Envelop/ Lucky Money) and the red poetry couplet they hang on the door (春联/Chun Lian/Spring Festival Couplets).
The 2025 Chinese zodiac sign is the snake. In Chinese mythology, the goddess who created humans, 女娲（nyu-wa), was an entity with a snake body. The snake totem originated in matriarchal societies, symbolizing vitality and fertility. The Chinese dragon, 龙 Loong, a mythical creature, became closely associated with imperial power in ancient China, while the snake’s image was demonized and often viewed as a smaller Loong, though its influence remains in the zodiac.
Chinese New Year (Chunjie) celebrations are rich in traditions and food, starting with the Laba Festival on the eighth day of the last month eating Laba Porridge, a nutritious porridge that contains more than eight types of nuts. On New Year’s Eve, families gather for a reunion dinner featuring dishes like jiaozi (dumpling), fish, and niangao (rice cakes), chicken, oysters, tofu , lotus root, Chinese sausages, and many more for good luck. The menu of reunion dinner varies in different regions. For example, Southern China also eats TangYuan (sweet rice ball) but Northern China does not. However, regardless of region, red envelopes are exchanged, fireworks are set off, and families stay up late to mark the transition from the old year to the new on this day.
The first day of Chinese New Year(正月初一) involves visiting family and friends to exchange greetings and go to family temple to light up sages, which means offering sacrifices to ancestors. The second day focuses on visiting the mothers’ side of the family and honoring the Chushen (Kitchen God) and CaiShen (God of Wealth) for prosperity. The third day is a quieter one to avoid conflict, while the fifth day is dedicated to welcoming the Caishen and the resumption of social activities. Feasts continue through the following days, and on the 15th day, the Lantern Festival marks the end of the celebrations. Chinese New Year is filled with numerous activities, customs, and traditions—there’s so much to it, it’s impossible to cover everything.
While not all countries celebrate Chinse New Year as long and with as many rules/traditions as China, many countries have set Chinese New Year as a national holiday. Indonesia declared Chinese New Year as a national holiday in 2003, naming it “Imlek.” The Philippines declared Chinese New Year a regular holiday in the Philippines in 2015 to acknowledge the significant role that Chinese-Filipinos have played in the country’s history. Singapore designated Chinese New Year as a national holiday prior to 1968. Malaysia also views Chinese New Year as one of the most anticipated national holidays of the year.
Korean New Year or Seollal, is deeply rooted in traditions influenced by Chinese cultures, such as ancestral rites and the lunar calendar. After 1945, Jan. 1 became the official New Year for South Korea, aligning with the Western calendar because of the annexation from Japan. However, in 1989, Seollal was redesignated as the official Korean New Year celebration to honor its cultural significance. Celebrating Seollal involves various traditions such as performing a deep bow to elders, giving gifts in white envelopes, and enjoying tteokguk, a rice cake soup that symbolizes the gaining of a year in age.
Vietnamese New Year, or Tết Nguyên Đán, shares striking similarities with Chinese New Year (Chūnjié) due to historical influences and cultural exchange but it has distinct cultural differences. For instance, while Chinese people decorate with red lanterns and paste Chunlian (spring red couplet) on their doors, Vietnamese homes are adorned with peach blossoms in the North and apricot blossoms in the South, as well as cây nêu (a bamboo pole decorated with red couplets). Red envelopes are given in both cultures, but food differs —Tết is marked by bánh chưng (square sticky rice cake) in the North and bánh tét (cylindrical sticky rice cake) in the South — both symbolizing gratitude to ancestors. Additionally, Tết is deeply tied to the Vietnamese zodiac, which shares 10 of the 12 animals with the Chinese zodiac but replaces the rabbit with the cat and the ox with the buffalo, reflecting Vietnam’s agrarian culture.
The discussion about whether to use Lunar New Year (LNY) or Chinese New Year (CNY) is that, while it aims to be inclusive, it ultimately meshes distinct cultures together and diminishes the historical significance of the holiday’s origins. The core traditions, mythology, and calendar system that define this celebration originated in China, yet LNY is often used in a way that primarily showcases Chinese elements while implying equal ownership by all cultures that later adapted it. This not only leads to the misattribution of Chinese traditions — such as red envelopes, lion dances, and red couplets — to Korean and Vietnamese celebrations but also erodes public understanding of the festival’s origins. Over time, the avoidance of “Chinese New Year” in favor of a broad, neutral term risks erasing the deep cultural and historical roots of the holiday, reducing it to a generic festival rather than one with a distinct and traceable lineage.
The importance about acknolwedging the origin culture
Cultural inclusion should not come at the cost of erasing cultural uniqueness or historical origins. Calling it “Chinese New Year” isn’t just about which ethnic groups celebrate it—it acknowledges the holiday’s roots. While multiple countries have developed their own traditions around this festival, its origins trace back to China. Similarly, we still say “Merry Christmas” even though it is celebrated worldwide with believers and non-believers and we recognize the Gregorian calendar by name, despite its use across both Western and Eastern countries. The existence of cultural adaptations does not diminish the importance of historical context. “Chinese New Year” reflects the festival’s birthplace while allowing room for its diverse expressions. If we can recognize linguistic and cultural evolution without erasing original identities, why should it be controversial to refer to Chinese New Year by its historical name?
Although intention for inclusivity is always valuable, in my opinion, we also need to have enough sensitivity when we generalize the holiday’s name in an effort to broaden its appeal. Recognizing the festival’s Chinese roots does not diminish its significance to other cultures — it strengthens our appreciation for the rich histories that shape our shared celebrations. Through language, traditions, and customs, we understand who we are and where we come from. Cultural heritage connects the past, present, and future, allowing us to learn from the wisdom and creativity of those before us. Humanity thrives because cultural traditions make human society vibrant and rich. True appreciation means celebrating both the shared joy of the holiday and the unique origins that gave it life.