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When Is Lunar New Year Each Year?

Key Clarification

Section titled “Key Clarification”
  • A strictly lunar New Year (based on a purely lunar calendar) does not remain in January or February.
  • The Islamic calendar is purely lunar and drifts across seasons.
  • What is commonly called “Lunar New Year” in January or February is calculated using the Chinese lunisolar calendar system.
  • Korea and Vietnam determine the date using the same Chinese calendrical structure, and it therefore falls on the same day in most years.

What Is a True Lunar New Year?

Section titled “What Is a True Lunar New Year?”

A purely lunar calendar:

  • Has 12 lunar months.
  • Does not insert leap months for solar correction.
  • Moves through the solar seasons over time.

The Islamic Hijri calendar is a purely lunar system. Its New Year (1 Muharram) shifts earlier by about 10–11 days each solar year and can fall in any season. In recent years, it has occurred during the summer months.

This differs fundamentally from the Chinese lunisolar system, which anchors the year to the winter solstice and maintains seasonal stability.

For technical details, see:

What People Commonly Mean by “Lunar New Year”

Section titled “What People Commonly Mean by “Lunar New Year””

In common English usage, “Lunar New Year” typically refers to the New Year determined by the Chinese lunisolar calendar.

This system:

  1. Anchors the year to the winter solstice.
  2. Begins months at astronomical new moons.
  3. Inserts leap months to maintain solar alignment.
  4. Places the New Year on the second new moon after the winter solstice.

Modern astronomical calculations in China are published annually based on this traditional framework.

Korea (Seollal) and Vietnam (Tết) determine their New Year date using the same structural calculation derived from the Chinese lunisolar calendar. As a result, the New Year date falls on the same day in most years.

For historical background, see:

Example Dates: 2026–2030

Section titled “Example Dates: 2026–2030”

Below are the Chinese lunisolar New Year dates (commonly called “Lunar New Year”) for the upcoming years:

  • 2026: February 17
  • 2027: February 6
  • 2028: January 26
  • 2029: February 13
  • 2030: February 3

These dates are determined by the Chinese lunisolar calendar system.

In South Korea and Vietnam, the New Year generally falls on these same dates because the underlying calculation structure is the same.

Why the Date Does Not Drift Like a Purely Lunar Calendar

Section titled “Why the Date Does Not Drift Like a Purely Lunar Calendar”

Because the Chinese lunisolar system inserts leap months and remains anchored to the winter solstice, the New Year consistently falls between:

January 21 and February 20

A purely lunar New Year, by contrast, shifts across all seasons over time.

Conclusion

Section titled “Conclusion”

When people ask, “When is Lunar New Year?” the answer depends on which calendar system they mean.

  • A purely lunar New Year (Islamic Hijri) shifts annually and may fall in summer.
  • The widely observed January–February New Year is calculated using the Chinese lunisolar calendar system.
  • Korea and Vietnam determine the date using the same structural rules, so the New Year typically falls on the same day across these countries.

Further Reading

Section titled “Further Reading”