Chinese New Year 2023 Celebrations

New Year's Day or Chunjie in China is the Festival of Spring, called "Nian" in Chinese. Its history goes back more than 4,000 years. It is the longest-awaited and longest-lasting celebration in China and other East Asian countries.

Chinese New Year does not have a specific date; it is determined by the lunar calendar. It is used in the Celestial Empire in everyday life. In 2023, the Chinese New Year fell on 22 January, marking the start of the Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese zodiac. Celebrations in China will last two weeks - until the New Year by the solar calendar, 4 February.

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A ethnic Chinese Malaysian prays on the first day of the Lunar New Year at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday, 22 January 2023.

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Visitors wearing masks pose in front of a row of Year of the Rabbit-themed billboards at a public park in Beijing on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday on Sunday, 22 January 2023.

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Fireworks explode over lanterns to celebrate the lunar new year in Solo, Central Java on 22 January 2023.

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Young acrobats form a human tower during a performance on the eve of lunar new year in the Chinatown area of Bangkok on 21 January 2023.

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Taoist Priests attend Wong Tai Sin Temple to welcome in the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit in Hong Kong late on 21 January 2023, as people flock to temples to pray for good luck and fortune for the new year.

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A devotee prays at a monastery as part of celebrations of the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit, in Banda Aceh on 22 January 2023.

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North Korean refugees and their family bow in respect for their ancestors in North Korea as they visit the Imjingak Pavilion, near the border with the North, to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Paju, South Korea on Sunday, 22 January 2023.

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Fireworks explode over Binondo-Intramuros Bridge as revelers celebrate the Lunar New Year, in Manila in the Philippines on 22 January 2023.

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People hold incense sticks while walking around the A-Ma Temple during the start of celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year in Macau on 22 January 2023.

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North Koreans pay respect to statues of late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea on Sunday, 22 January 2023, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.

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Chinese performers take part in the ceremony on the eve of the Lunar New Year, in Yangon on 21 January 2023.

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People visit Zojoji temple as Tokyo Tower is lit in red to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year in Tokyo on 21 January 2023.

People Across Asia Embrace Lunar New Year Celebrations