Chinese Lunar New Year 2025: The Chinese Lunar Year 2025 will start on January 29, 2025, which kicks off the 15-day festival, marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The Lunar New Year is widely considered the most important event of the year in China and Chinese communities around the planet. The date of Chinese New Year is determined by the lunar calendar and falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice on December 21, which usually falls between January 21 and February 20 on the Gregorian calendar.
As per Chinese lore, it is believed that on Lunar New Year’s Eve, a fearsome monster named Nian would emerge to devour both people and livestock. The loud explosions and bright lights are set up to scare away Nian and ensure the safety of the community. This tradition has carried on for centuries and has become an integral part of Chinese culture.
Lunar New Year timeline
Start Date: January 29, 2025
Chinese New Year’s Eve: January 28, 2025
End Date: February 12, 2025 (Lantern Festival)
What is the Chinese New Year animal in 2025?
The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle of animals and also incorporates one of the five elements – wood, fire, earth, metal or water thus creating a 60-year cycle.
The horoscope for 2025 marks the beginning of the ‘Year of the Wood Snake’ in China, which signifies a time of transformation, growth and introspection. It will continue till February 16, 2026, when the ‘Year of the Horse’ begins.
Why is the Lunar Year 2025 the Year of the Snake?
In most Western nations, snakes are associated with evil and temptation but the Chinese hold them in a different stead. In the Asian country, snakes are associated with harvest, procreation, spirituality, and good fortune, as well as cunning, evil, threat and terror.
People born in the Year of the Snake are often seen as resourceful, self-reliant, and determined to overcome challenges. Years of the Snake include 2025, 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965, and 1953, with the next Snake year in 2037.
Famous personalities born under snake sign
- Mahatma Gandhi (1869)
- Pablo Picasso (1881)
- Mao Zedong (1893)
- Xi Jinping (1953)
- Bob Dylan (1941)
- Anne Frank (1929)
- John F. Kennedy (1917)
- JK Rowling (1965)
- Taylor Swift (1989)