New Year’s Day celebrates the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. While China celebrates New Year’s Day with the rest of the world, the holiday is merely prelude to the forthcoming Chinese New Year festivities.
Mark Your Calendars
New Year’s Day 2024 is January 1, 2024. It takes place every year on January 1.
Here’s a simple guide for what you can expect during what’s undoubtably China’s second most important New Year celebration.
The Basics
China adopted the Gregorian calendar and began celebrating New Year’s Day in 1912. Though the importance of New Year’s Day pales in comparison to the traditional Chinese New Year a month later, it is observed with the rest of the world as a public holiday on January 1.
New Year’s Day Traditions
With no particular cultural significance, New Year’s Day in China is celebrated primarily as time off from work. You’ll find the same New Year’s Eve fireworks and gatherings of friends and colleagues familiar to Western revelers in big cosmopolitan cities like Beijing and Hong Kong. All of this serves as a kind of warm up for the main event of Chinese New Year ahead.
When is New Year’s Day?
New Year’s Day takes place every year on January 1. Workers receive one day off for New Year’s Day. Practically speaking, New Year’s Day is a three day holiday, with up to two of these days “made up” on either the preceding or following weekend.
New Year’s Day dates through 2026 are below.
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2015 | January 1 |
| 2016 | January 1 |
| 2017 | January 1 |
| 2018 | January 1 |
| 2019 | January 1 |
| 2020 | January 1 |
| 2021 | January 1 |
| 2022 | January 1 |
| 2023 | January 1 |
| 2024 | January 1 |
| 2025 | January 1 |
| 2026 | January 1 |
Your turn! Do you have any other questions about celebrating New Year’s Day in China? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below!
HT: Photo by The Telegraph.
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