January 29th marks the start of the Lunar New Year. Although, since I taught in China for 3 ½ years, I usually say Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, which is what it’s called in Chinese.
Observing the Lunar New Year in China
I loved celebrating the holiday when I lived in Wuhan. Local families who worked at the university I taught at invited me over for wonderful dinners. Traditionally a 15-day holiday culminating in the Lantern Festival, Chinese New Year was observed officially for only 3 days when I worked in China but nowadays it’s officially a 7-day holiday.
Countries that Officially Celebrate the Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is not a Federal holiday in the U.S. but some states have declared it a holiday and given students a day off. Many countries around the world observe the holiday unofficially.
Below is a list of the countries that celebrate the Lunar New Year as an official holiday, along with the name of the holiday in the local language and its meaning in English:
* Brunei = Chun Jie (means Spring Festival)
* China, Hong Kong, Macau = Chun Jie (means Spring Festival)
* Indonesia = Tahun Baru Imlek (means Chinese New Year)
* Malaysia = Chun Jie (means Spring Festival)
* Mauritius = Spring Festival
* North Korea = Seollal (means Lunar New Year’s Day)
* Philippines = Bagong Taong Tsino (means Chinese New Year)
* Singapore = Chun Jie (means Spring Festival)
* South Korea = Seollal (means Lunar New Year’s Day)
* Suriname = Chinese Spring Festival
* Taiwan = Chun Jie (means Spring Festival)
* Thailand = Wan Trut Chin (means Lunar New Year)
* Vietnam = Tết Nguyên Đán (means Festival of the First Morning of the First Day)
Teaching Resources about Lunar New Year and China
My bundle of 6 resources about China, Chinese New Year, and the Chinese Zodiac is the perfect way to teach your students about the holiday and Chinese culture. It includes:
* Reading and opinion writing activities about Chinese New Year,
* An ABC book about Chinese history, geography, and culture,
* Info about Chinese dynasties, emperors, and philosophers,
* Differentiated word searches for each animal of the Chinese zodiac,
* Clipart images, based on photographs I took, of each animal of the Chinese zodiac, and
* Task cards about the Chinese zodiac and Chinese New Year that give students practice in identifying and correcting errors in sentences.
You can get this Lunar New Year bundle of resources HERE.
Free Lunar New Year Activity
In a blog post I’ve just updated for 2025, you can find directions for a simple activity that teaches students how to write Happy New Year in Chinese. It explains what to do and includes a link to a template you can download for free and use with your students.
Xin Nian Kuai Le! That’s Mandarin for Happy New Year!
