Infrapink (he/his/him)

#XīnNiánHǎo everyone! As you've probably heard, today is #ChineseNewYear. Spring officially started in China four days ago, and XīnNián usually begins on the day of the first new moon after the start of spring (but not always; 1980 AD was an esception, because the actual rule is determined by the last new moon before the southern solstice).

It's often referred to as #LunarNewYear, but as I already explained¹ there are lots of lunar new years

¹https://mastodon.ie/@Infrapink/111878695252786578

Infrapink (he/his/him) (@[email protected])

"Crowds gathered in the Nigerian city of Lagos on Sunday for an early celebration of the Lunar New Year. The day, often referred to as the Chinese New Year" http://www.africanews.com/2024/02/05/nigeria-mark-chinese-lunar-new-year-in-early-celebrations/ China isn't the only place with a traditional calendar that ties New Year's Day to the phases of the moon. Vietnam, Indian, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Mongolia all have their own lunisolar calendars. 1/

mastodon.ie
Feb 10, 2024 at 6:40pmWeb
Show threadInfrapink (he/his/him)Feb 10, 2024
For example, today is also #TếtNguyênĐán, or #VietnameseNewYear. Vietnam uses almost the same calendar as China, but adjusted to use the Vietnamese timezone, which means Tết can fall a day earlier than Xīn Nián if the new moon falls very close to midnight. This famously happened in 1969 AD; North Vietnam planned to attack South Vietnam the day after Tết, but because South Vietnam still used Chinese time, the attack came a day before they were expecting.
Show threadInfrapink (he/his/him)Feb 10, 2024
Oh, and today is also #Seollal, or #KoreanNewYear. As with Vietnam, the traditional Korean lunisolar calendar uses the same rules as the traditional Chinese calendar, but based on Korean time rather than Chinese time.
Show threadInfrapink (he/his/him)Feb 10, 2024

Japan used to have a new year celebration, called #Shōgatsu around the same time. Alas, the traditional Tenpō calendar was completely abandoned in 1873 AD as part of the #MeijiRestoration, and since then Japan has used the Gregorian calendar exclusively.

Due to timezones, Shogatsu would take place on the same date as Seollal. I think Japan should bring back the traditional new year, even point to it as something they have in common with Korea.

Show threadRiley S. FaelanFeb 10, 2024
@Infrapink It's the year of the Major Danger Noodle!