The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world with a new year beginning on each 1 January. It is a solar calendar determining the length of the year by the Earth’s orbit around the Sun and its months not corresponding to the phases of the Moon.
Some countries however also use other types of calendars. The Chinese calendar, for example, is a lunisolar calendar. Months are based on the orbit of the Moon around the Earth and years on the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. Months begin on the day of a New Moon and years on the New Moon between 21 January and 20 February.
While China in general uses the Gregorian calendar, the traditional Chinese calendar is used to determine holidays, the most famous probably being the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year also marks the beginning of the Spring Festival, a two weeks event ending with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the year. In 2019, the Chinese New Year is today, February 5, and marks the beginning of the Year of the Pig, commonly associated with prosperity.
恭賀新禧/恭贺新禧
Gōnghè xīnxǐ
Happy New Year!