The year Lunar New will be ushered in on Friday, February 12, 2021. It marks the beginning of a 15-day celebration called the Spring Festival.
The date of the Lunar New Year falls on the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar, which is based on the phases of the moon and sun. A solar year is based on how long it takes the Earth to orbit the sun and is about 365 days, whereas a lunar year is approximately 354 years. This is why the Lunar New Year falls on a different date every year.
Lunar New Year / the Spring Festival is sometimes commonly referred to as Chinese New Year, but it is a celebration not just for Chinese communities, but many other Asian nations such as Vietnam and South Korea.
It is believed that a good start to the year will lead to a lucky year, and traditionally the New Year would be celebrated by spending time with family and eating meals together, firework displays, giving red money envelopes, participating in cultural activities and putting up decorations. Red is the main colour for the Spring Festival, and decorations are often related to the zodiac animal of the year. 2021 is the Year of the Ox. As an ox is strong, reliable and hardworking, people born in the Year of the Ox are said to have those characteristics.
The York Catholic District School Board wishes everyone who celebrates the Spring Festival a very Happy New Year!