Today (Wednesday January 29) is the beginning of traditional Chinese spring festival celebrations, commonly called Chinese or Lunar New Year.

The history of Chinese New Year goes back as far as 4,000 years. So, in honour of this auspicious day, here are eight little facts you many not already know about Chinese New Year 2025.

What is Chinese or Lunar New Year about?

Chinese New Year, which is also called the Spring Festival and the Lunar New Year, celebrates the second ‘new moon’ on the lunar calendar (also known as a lunisolar calendar) and lasts until the following 'full moon'.

In the northern hemisphere, it marks the start of spring, a time to reunite with family, and is the time to wish for luck, wealth and prosperity for the year ahead.

Two billion people celebrate Lunar New Year worldwide.

Chinese New Year is obviously celebrated in China where it is a public holiday and one of the biggest celebrations of the year!

Other countries including South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam celebrate the Lunar new year at the same time.

Celebrations last for up to16 days (in some places)

Typical celebrations go for 16 days which in 2025 will end with the Lantern Festival on February 12.

On the morning of New Year's Eve, people traditionally sweep the tombs of their ancestors, hang 'spring festival' couplets (poems of two lines) and red lanterns.

Often people will have a big family reunion dinner (the most important dinner of the year!).

A great reason to do the housework and also leave the housework for a bit

There are lots of traditions around Chinese New Year - in preparation, people 'sweep out' misfortune from the old year and hang up poems on red paper for good luck and prosperity.

On Lunar New Year itself, it's best not to do any washing or sweeping so as not to wash away good fortune.

Red is the colour of the celebrations

People generally avoid colours associated with mourning (such as black and white), in favour of wearing red and / or a new outfit.

Also red are the traditional little red envelopes for holding money to be given to children and sometimes others as a symbol of good luck.

The Year of the Snake is good for some of us

The Chinese Zodiac has twelve signs characterised by different animals and 2025 welcomes the Year of the Snake.

In some traditions snake years are associated with harvest, procreation, spirituality and good fortune as well as evil, threat, cunning and terror.

Depending on your own Zodiac sign, this could be a more or less lucky year for you, you can find out your Zodiac sign here.

Typically, being the same Zodiac sign as the year you're in is not considered to be lucky.

Good luck for Snake people in 2025

Things that are lucky for Snake people include some numbers, colours and flowers.

Your lucky numbers are 2. 8 and 9 (or numbers containing these numbers e.g. 28, 32, 49).

Your lucky colours are black, red and yellow and your lucky flowers are orchid and cactus.

Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year are not quite the same thing.

Many Asian countries share the interpretation of the Chinese calendar, and they celebrate at the same (or almost the same) time.

Other cultures celebrate Lunar New Year on different dates (examples are Mongolian, Islamic and Jewish calendars).