Chinese New Year is the most important holidays for most Chinese around the world. Some remote and smaller minority groups have their variations of celebrations at different times of the year. Traditionally, the preparation and smaller celebration activities began in the last month of the lunar calendar. (Note: I did not say the 12th month, as sometimes there are 13 months in a lunar year! This will be a special topic of its own.)
You can find a lot of information on the internet about Chinese New Year, also called, Spring Festival. Some customs vary due to the vast size of the land and the ethnic groups. I hope some of the information included here provide you a basic introduction to this fascinating holiday.
Click here for some basic information about Chinese New Year organized by some Chinese people who are happy to share this holiday with others. I thought it was fun to look at the dates of Chinese New Year from 1930-2030.
The earliest day possible for Chinese New Year is January 21 and the latest could be February 19.