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Official Holiday Recognition and Modern National Status

Key Facts

Section titled “Key Facts”
  • China maintained continuous recognition of the lunisolar New Year.
  • Korea reinstated Seollal as an official holiday in 1985.
  • Vietnam maintains Tết as a national holiday.
  • Japan abandoned the lunisolar New Year in 1873.

China

Section titled “China”

Spring Festival has been embedded in Chinese state tradition since antiquity.

Modern PRC:

  • Recognized as official holiday after 1949.
  • Extended holiday structure formalized in 1999.

South Korea

Section titled “South Korea”
  • Gregorian calendar adopted 1896.
  • Seollal reinstated as official holiday in 1985.
  • Extended in 1989.

Vietnam

Section titled “Vietnam”
  • Maintained under imperial systems.
  • Recognized under Socialist Republic of Vietnam post-1976.

Japan

Section titled “Japan”
  • 1873 adoption of Gregorian calendar.
  • Lunisolar New Year discontinued nationally.
  • January 1 became official New Year.

Clarification

Section titled “Clarification”

Where countries calculate the New Year using the same Chinese lunisolar astronomical framework, the calendrical origin remains Chinese.

Further Reading

Section titled “Further Reading”