The Lunar New Year is a holiday celebrated in many parts of Asia and in Asian communities around the world. It marks the beginning of the year using the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. Typically, Lunar New Year is observed in late January or early February of the Gregorian calendar. The Year of the Snake began on January 29, 2025, and the Year of the Horse will begin on February 17, 2026. This fact sheet focuses on the Lunar New Year as celebrated by people of Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese descents, including many Asian Americans.
This fact sheet assists congressional offices with work related to the Lunar New Year holiday. It contains historical information, links to legislation, sample speeches and remarks from the Congressional Record, presidential statements, and other web resources.
Background
The Lunar New Year is a holiday in Asian societies that use variants of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. The holiday has cultural significance for Asian American communities with ties to those countries.1 The Lunar New Year starts on the second new moon after the winter solstice and falls between January 21 and February 19 on the Gregorian calendar used in the United States.2
The Chinese calendar uses a 60-year cycle known as the sexagenary cycle. The current cycle began in 1984 and ends in 2043. Each cycle consists of one each of the 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches, which correspond to 12 zodiac animals. These zodiac animals are the rat, ox, tiger, hare (or rabbit), dragon, snake, horse, sheep (or goat), monkey, rooster (or chicken), dog, and pig (or boar).3The heavenly stems are also associated with one of the five traditional Chinese elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.
The Lunar New Year is not a federal holiday in the United States. Some states, such as California,4 Colorado,5 and New Jersey,6 have passed legislation declaring the Lunar New Year an official holiday. In the state of Washington, it is a legislatively recognized holiday,7 and the state of New York recognizes it as a public-school holiday.8 Some cities with large Asian American populations, including San Francisco, close schools for the day.9 The U.S. Postal Service began issuing special stamps in 1992 to commemorate the Lunar New Year.10
Lunar New Year customs vary across countries and regions. In many places in Asia, it is a public holiday and a major time period for travel. Commonalities include cleaning the house; settling debts and disputes; gathering with family and friends; eating auspicious foods; honoring elders and ancestors; exchanging gifts of money; and watching or participating in traditional dances, games, and other cultural activities.
Chinese Traditions
The Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival or Chun JieinMandarin Chinese, is a 15-day festival that marks the beginning of the Chinese traditional calendar and welcomes spring.
The United States is home to an estimated 5.4 million people of Chinese descent, the single largest national group among Asian Americans, plus an additional 320,000 people of Taiwanese descent.11 Celebrations are held in many U.S. cities; the San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade has been described as "the largest celebration of its kind in the world."12 Groups with varying political and cultural affiliations organize celebrations, and Members of Congress who have been asked to participate in specific events may want to determine the affiliations of the organizing groups.
Korean Traditions
The Korean New Year, Seollal (alternativespellingsSollal or Solnal), is a three-day festival. It marks the first day of the traditional Korean calendar, which is based on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar.13 It includes the day before and the day after the lunar New Year's Day.14
The United States has an estimated 2 million Korean Americans, with large populations in Los Angeles and New York.15 Public festivities have included a folk drumming street festival in Los Angeles' Koreatown neighborhood.16
Vietnamese Traditions
The Vietnamese New Year, Tết Nguyên Đán,or Tết, is a three-day festival marking the beginning of the traditional Vietnamese calendar, which is a variant of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. The Vietnamese zodiac uses the buffalo, cat, and goat instead of the Chinese ox, hare, and sheep.17 The Vietnamese Year of the Dragon began on January 29, 2025, and the Year of the Horse will begin on February 17, 2026.18
The United States is home to an estimated 2.3 million Vietnamese Americans who host hundreds of Tết celebrations each year, including the largest in the "Little Saigon" community of Westminster, CA.1
