Lunar New Year 2023 launches the Year of the Rabbit

January 22, 2023

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Blissful New 12 months!

Lunar New 12 months, that’s. In lots of elements of the world, in the present day (Jan. 22) marks the beginning of a brand new yr. Lunar New 12 months is well known broadly all through East Asia and marks the start of spring and the beginning of a brand new lunar cycle. The vacation usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. For that purpose, the date modifications yr to yr in comparison with the mounted holidays of the Gregorian calendar, however it at all times falls in January or February.

This yr, Lunar New 12 months marks the start of the 12 months of the Rabbit in keeping with the Chinese language zodiac, which assigns completely different animals to years over a 12-year cycle. Based on ChineseNewYear.net (opens in new tab), the rabbit is related to the moon in Chinese language tradition, maybe as a result of the shadows of the moon have been as soon as thought to signify a rabbit. China’s Yutu-2 rover, the longest-running lunar rover in history, will get its identify from the Chinese language characters for “jade rabbit.”

Associated: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

Whereas the Western zodiac is based on constellations, the 12 animals that make up the Chinese language zodiac don’t correspond to groupings of stars. They as an alternative originate from the animals discovered within the “Heavenly Gate Race (opens in new tab)” from historical Chinese language folklore and are assigned to 12 divisions of the (roughly) 12-year orbit (opens in new tab) of Jupiter.

The origins of Lunar New 12 months aren’t well-known, as it’s believed to this point again to prehistory, in keeping with TimeAndDate.com (opens in new tab). The date of Lunar New 12 months is about in keeping with the Chinese language calendar, which is predicated on the altering place of the sun within the sky and the phases of the moon.

Most years on this calendar system, generally known as a lunisolar calendar, are between 353 and 355 days lengthy. (Leap years have between 383 and 385 days.) China makes use of the Gregorian calendar for many civil and governmental functions, whereas the normal Chinese language calendar is used for holidays and pageant dates.

The primary lunisolar calendars in China have been established in the course of the Zhou dynasty (1046 BC – 256 BC). Throughout this era, the start of the brand new yr was set because the day of the final new moon that occurred previous to the winter solstice. As numerous dynasties rose and fell all through Chinese language historical past, the calendar was revised and rewritten till it advanced into the Chinese language calendar we all know in the present day during the late Ming dynasty (opens in new tab) within the seventeenth century.

As we speak, Lunar New 12 months is well known worldwide with a wide range of traditions. In China, households usually collect collectively for a 16-day celebration filled with feasting, fireworks and gift-giving. Conventional items embrace hongbao, or “purple envelopes,” that are usually full of money.

The vacation additionally sees the largest annual human migration (opens in new tab) on Earth, throughout which billions of individuals worldwide journey to their ancestral properties to have a good time with household.

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