Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. It integrates the removal of the old and the new, worshiping the gods and ancestors, praying for blessings and warding off evil spirits, family and friend reunions, celebration and entertainment and food, and is a major folk festival of the Chinese nation. However, do you know why the Lunar New Year in 2024 (also known as the "Chinese New Year's Eve") will be the last in these years?
To answer this question, it is first necessary to understand the definition of the middle moon in the Chinese lunar calendar. In the lunar calendar, a month is known as a "synodic month". The word derives from the cycle of waxing and waning of the moon. To put it simply, the average length of a synodic month is 2953 days. This number is not an integer, and the number of days in a month needs to be expressed as an integer. That's why sometimes it's 29 days in a small month, and sometimes it's 30 days in a big month.
It is not uncommon for the wax moon to coincide with a small moon. For example, the wax moon in 2013 and 2016 are all small moons. This is because the calculation method of the lunar calendar is not a simple accumulation of 30 or 31 days, but is determined based on astronomical observations and historical accumulated experience. In the lunar calendar, the length of each month has its own specific rules, and this rule is determined according to the waxing and waning of the moon.
Why is the Spring Festival in 2024 the last Chinese New Year's Eve in recent years? This is mainly because from 2025 to 2029, Chinese New Year's Eve for five consecutive years is "New Year's Eve". This is because in the calculation of the lunar calendar, there is a special rule: when there are 30 days in a certain month of the year, there will be only 29 days in the next month. Vice versa. Such a rule keeps the total number of days in the year and month of the lunar calendar within a certain range, thus ensuring the correspondence between the lunar calendar and the earth's orbital cycle.
When we go back to the Spring Festival in 2024, since the wax moon of the previous year is a big month (30 days), according to the provisions of the lunar calendar, the first month of 2024 (that is, the month where the Spring Festival is located) is a small month (29 days). This is why the Spring Festival in 2024 is the last Chinese New Year's Eve in recent years.
The setting of the Chinese lunar calendar is very scientific and precise. It not only reflects people's observation and understanding of astronomical phenomena, but also reflects people's awe and respect for time and life. By understanding the setting and operating rules of the lunar calendar, we can better understand and appreciate this ancient calendar, and we can also gain a deeper understanding and experience of traditional Chinese culture.
In this upcoming Chinese New Year, let's celebrate new beginnings together, thank you for the past year, and look forward to the coming year. No matter what happens in the coming years, we will continue to celebrate this day full of joy and blessings.