02/02/2025
I've been seeing many questions, both offline and online, on whether Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year are the same. The answer is no because of the following:
1. Chinese New Year is actually based on lunisolar calendar ie referencing to both the Sun and the Moon.
2. Although the months are calculated using the Moon, which is either 29 or 30 days, the year is adjusted to match to solar year of 365 days by adding an additional month. This adjustment occurs 7 times for every 19 years on average. Determination of the additional month to be discussed separately.
3. Chinese New Year usually occurs between Jan and Feb and the adjustment ensures that the year is neither too early (too cold like December) nor too late (too hot like March).
4. Wrong to say Lunar New Year which only references to the Moon. Eg. Islamic calendar. For various reasons such as political or commercial, Lunar New Year is used.
