Lunar New Year Trivia | 40 facts about the beginning of the calendar year

Lunar New Year is the beginning of a calendar year whose months are Moon cycles, based on the lunar calendar or lunisolar calendar

Let’s find out some trivia and facts.

1. Lunar New Year is the beginning of a calendar year whose months are Moon cycles, based on the lunar calendar or lunisolar calendar
2. It is particularly celebrated in countries within East and Southeast Asia (ESEA)
3. It is being influenced by the Chinese lunisolar calendar
4. It is also a feature of the Hinduism –Buddhist calendars of South Asia
5. As well as the Islamic and Jewish calendars
6. The Lunar New Year celebrations of modern East Asia on the same date as each other across the region
7. On the new moon which occurs in late January or early February based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar
8. Although occuring on the same new moon day, celebrations are unique to their own cultures
9. Each with its interpretations, zodiacs and traditions
10. Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and South Korea still celebrate the lunar new year in addition to the Solar New Year
11. Japan, excluding Okinawa, now only celebrates the solar new year with the remnants of the lunar celebration called Little New Year (小正月, koshōgatsu) occurring on the 15th day of the first lunar month
12. Before new year celebration was formed, ancient Chinese gathered around and celebrated at the end of harvest in autumn
13. However, the celebration is not Mid-Autumn Festival, during which Chinese gathered with family and worship the moon
14. In the Classic of Poetry, a poem written during Western Zhou (1045 BC – 771 BC), by an anonymous farmer, described how people cleaned up millet stack-sites, toasted to guests with mijiu, killed lambs and cooked the meat, went to their master’s home, toasted to the master, and cheered for long lives together, in the 10th month of an ancient solar calendars, which was in autumn
15. The celebration is believed to be one of the prototypes of the Chinese New Year
16. The first dated Chinese new year celebration can be traced back to Warring States period (475 BC – 221 AD)
17. In Lüshi Chunqiu, a exorcistic ritual called “Big Nuo” was recorded being carried out in the ending day of a year to expel illness in Qin (state)
18. Later, after Qin unified China and the Qin dynasty was founded, the ritual was continued
19. It evolved to cleaning up houses thoroughly in the preceding days of Chinese New Year
20. The first mentioning of celebration of the start of a new year was recorded in Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD)
21. In the book Simin Yueling, written by Eastern Han’s agronomist and writer Cui Shi, celebration was recorded by stating “The starting day of the first month, is called ‘Zheng Ri’. I bring my wife and children, to worship ancestors and commemorate my father”
22. Later he wrote: “Children, wife, grandchildren, and great grandchildren all serve pepper wine to their parents, make their toast, and wish their parents good health. It’s a thriving view”
23. People also went to acquaintances’ homes and wished each others happy new year
24. In Book of the Later Han Volume 27, a county officer was recorded going to his prefect’s house with a government secretary, toasting to the prefect and praising the prefect’s merit
25. While there is little recorded history of when Lunar New Year was first observed in Taiwan, it is known that the indigenous population had other ceremonies and did not originally celebrate the festival
26. It was likely first celebrated by Hakka or Hoklo populations that migrated from mainland China to the island during the 17th century
27. Due to Taiwan’s most population being Han Chinese and its history with China, Lunar New Year is celebrated in Taiwan in a very similar way to China, especially in regards to traditions
28. However, in modern day, there can be more of a focus on visiting Buddhist or Taoist temples with extended family members
29. There are also notable variations to the food that is eaten during this time, such as the consumption of pineapple cakes and other products derived from pineapples or white turnips since the latter is a homophone for “good fortune” in Hokkien
30. The earliest references to Korean New Year are found in 7th century in Chinese historical works, the Book of Sui and the Old Book of Tang, containing excerpts of celebrations during the New Year in the Silla Kingdom, which was influenced by Tang dynasty’s calendaric system
31. Korea’s own record of new year celebration is found in Samguk yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), compiled in the 13th century
32. Under the rule of 21st King of Silla, new year was celebrated in 488 AD
33. Then celebration of Korean New Year have continued to Goryeo and Joseon
34. By the 13th century, Korean New Year was one of the nine major Korean festivals that included ancestral rites, according to the Korean historical work, the Goryeosa
35. The South Asian are influenced by Indian tradition, which marks the system of lunar months in a solar sidereal year
36. A separate solar new year also exists for those Indian regions which use solar months in a solar sidereal year
37. Hobiyee, also spelled Hoobiyee, Hobiyee, Hobiiyee and Hoobiiyee, is the Nisg̱a’a new year celebrated every February / March
38. Nisg̱a’a are Indigenous people of Canada
39. It signifies the emergence of the first crescent moon and begins the month Buxw-laḵs
40. Celebrations of Hobiyee are done by Nisg̱a’a wherever they are located, but the largest celebrations are in Nisg̱a’a itself and in areas with a large Nisg̱a’a presence like Vancouver