In ancient times, according to the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day was not just the 1st of January. The date of New Year's Day was changed from the first day of the 12th month of the Yin Dynasty to the first day of the 1st month of the Han Dynasty. In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew the rule of the Manchu Dynasty and established the Republic of China. Provincial governors' representatives held a meeting in Nanjing and decided to adopt the Gregorian calendar. They named the first day of the 1st month of the lunar calendar as "Spring Festival" and the 1st of January of the Gregorian calendar as "New Year's Day". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, when China issued regulations on national holidays and war commemorative days, January 1st was designated as New Year's Day, and the whole country had a one-day holiday.
In order to distinguish between the two New Years of the lunar and solar calendars, considering that the "Spring Equinox" in the lunar calendar occurs around the time of the lunar New Year, the first day of the lunar New Year was renamed "Spring Festival".
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve (also known as Old New Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries) is the last day of the year, occurring on December 31st. In many countries, people hold parties to celebrate New Year's Eve, where many people dance, eat, drink, watch or set off fireworks. Some Christians attend vigil services. The celebrations usually continue from after midnight until January 1st of the new year.
The customs of the Chinese New Year include activities such as worshipping gods and Buddha, paying respects to ancestors, pasting Spring Festival couplets, setting off firecrackers, and having a reunion dinner. In many places, large-scale entertainment and celebration events are also held. People gather together to jointly experience the joyous atmosphere brought by the New Year.
