Chinese New Year — known in Chinese as 春节 (Chunjie, Spring Festival) — is not a vague seasonal label. It is a living civilisational tradition rooted in thousands of years of continuous Chinese history. It is calculated according to the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar system, developed in China, incorporating the movements of both the moon and the sun, the 24 solar terms, and the 12-animal zodiac cycle. The official calendrical calculations and astronomical determinations that standardise the traditional calendar are issued from China — including through institutions such as the Purple Mountain Observatory (紫金山天文台) in Nanjing — continuing a long-standing scientific and cultural framework rooted in Chinese civilisation. The symbols the world recognises — the zodiac animals, red lanterns, spring couplets, lion and dragon dances, reunion dinners — are not “pan-Asian.” They are Chinese in origin. 

From this Chinese civilisational foundation, the calendar system and associated customs historically spread to neighbouring regions through cultural exchange and tributary-era influence. Over time, localised forms developed: in Vietnam it is known as Tết Nguyên Đán, and in Korea as Seollal (설날). These are distinct cultural adaptations with their own identities today, and they deserve to be named accurately. However, their historical roots trace back to the Chinese calendrical and cultural framework. Not all Asian cultures are the same, and collapsing distinct traditions into a single generic label erases important historical context.

Historical records show that in 1968, under British colonial administration in Hong Kong, official legislation replaced the term “Chinese New Year” with “Lunar New Year” in English law. This shift did not come from Chinese calendrical reform, scientific correction, or community consensus — it occurred within a colonial administrative framework that substituted culturally specific identifiers with generic terminology. The festival itself has never been purely “lunar”; it is based on a Chinese lunisolar system. Using the broad term “Lunar New Year” to describe specifically Chinese traditions dilutes their origin and weakens cultural recognition. Inclusivity does not require erasure. Respect does not require dilution. Multiculturalism should mean acknowledging distinct histories, not merging them into a single generic label.

Chinese New Year is a continuously celebrated Chinese tradition — not an “ancient relic,” not a regional placeholder, not a catch-all term. Recognising its name is not exclusionary; it is historically accurate and culturally respectful. Others are absolutely welcome to celebrate — celebration and origin can coexist. But true respect begins with calling traditions by their rightful names.