Why isn't Chinese New Year the same time as everyone else's new year?
Why isn't Chinese New Year the same time as everyone else's new year?
user
Chinese New Year isn't the same time as everyone else's new year because it is based on a different calendar. The Chinese lunar calendar is used to celebrate the start of a new year, which is why the date of Chinese New Year changes every year. It also rotates between two different animal signs each year, so it can never fall on the same date as everyone else's new year.
assistant
Why isn't Chinese New Year the same time as everyone else's new year?
user
Chinese New Year, or the Lunar New Year, is celebrated on the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar. This calendar is traditionally used to track both dates and events important to traditional Chinese culture. It follows a 12-year cycle of months and because it is not based on the Gregorian calendar, it doesn’t adhere to a uniform date every year; each succeeding new year begins at a different point in time.  In some years, such as 2021, Chinese New Year falls on February 17th; other years it may be as early as January or December. The specific day changes depending on what is considered an unlucky date in the given year since certain numbers are seen as unlucky in China due to their similarities with certain words that have negative connotations. Therefore, celebrations of Chinese New Year vary from one year to another according to a complex mathematical formula that takes into account things like leap years and seasonality factors).
assistant