Why do we call it Lunar New Year?

Lunar New Year, Chinese Chunjie, Vietnamese Tet, Korean Seollal, Tibetan Losar, also called Spring Festival, is a festival typically celebrated in China and other Asian countries that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later. The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, so the dates of the holiday vary slightly from year to year, beginning some time between January 21 and February 20 according to Western calendars. Learn more here.

Chinese New Year | Vietnamese Tet | Korean Seollal
Tibetan Losar | Mongolian Tsagaan Sar

In Chinese culture, the 2021 Lunar New Year on February 12 ushers in the Year of the Ox, after a particularly challenging Year of the Rat in 2020.

Twelve animals represent the Chinese zodiac signs (or sheng xiao, translating to "born + resemblance"); in order, they’re the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

Each animal is associated with particular personality traits, making it fun to look up what your sign is according to the year of your birth date.

Curious to know what your sign is? Use the calculator below to find out and then scroll down to read up more on their respective traits!