Today, several countries celebrated Chinese New Year. What was once a cultural niche celebrated by certain countries and cultures, is now celebrated all over the world. The Chinese new year celebrates the coming of the new calendar based on the 12-year cycle that has certain animals, both real and mythical, to represent the time of the cycle. This past year was the year of the water dragon, but now people are celebrating to welcome in the year of the dog.
In these modern times, Chinese New Year is celebrated, not just in China and other Chinese countries, but all over the world. Some events have even been known to last for as long as two weeks. The event is largely celebrated in places such as Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, and other countries with strong Chinese cultures.
The Chinese New Year is celebrated in February, unlike the Gregorian calendar, which is the traditional calendar, where we celebrate the New Year with the first of January. The Gregorian calendar is based on the time it takes for the earth to travel around the sun, which is 365 days. These days are split into 12 months. The Chinese calendar, on the other hand, is based on the lunar cycle and an agricultural pattern. The calendar is based on the movements of the moon that dates back to the Xia dynasty, around 21 century BC.
Over 100 years ago, when the Republic of china was founded in 1912, the traditional Gregorian calendar was adopted, but the Chinese New Year festivities still continue on to this day. Aside from celebrating the New Year, it is also celebrated along with the Spring Festival, to keep along with its history of celebrating the new agricultural cycle of the land.