The Origin And Evolution Of New Year's Day: The Road Of Celebration From Ancient Times To Modern Times

As the New Year's bell approaches, we are about to usher in the New Year's Day of 2025. In this moment full of hope and expectation, let's explore interesting facts about New Year's Day and learn about the origin, evolution and celebration of this holiday.

1. The meaning of "New Year's Day" The word "New Year's Day" contains rich cultural connotations. "Yuan" means "beginning", which represents the beginning and the first; "Dan" refers to "ri", that is, a certain day. Taken together, "New Year's Day" is the "initial day", symbolizing the first day of the new year. In traditional Chinese culture, this concept has experienced thousands of years of evolution and is significantly different from the modern definition.

2. The difference between ancient and modern New Year's Day In ancient times, New Year's Day referred to the first day of the Lunar New Year. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the first month of the lunar calendar was designated as the first month, and the first day of this month, what we now call the Spring Festival, was named "New Year's Day". This tradition was continued until the end of the Qing Dynasty. However, in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the definitions of "New Year's Day" were different. After Qin Shihuang unified China, he designated early October as the first day of the year.
3. The birth of "New Year's Day" in modern times Since modern times, with the establishment of the Republic of China and the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the definition of "New Year's Day" began to change. During the Republic of China, the first day of the first lunar month was called the "Spring Festival", while the first day of the first lunar month was called the "New Year's Day". In 1912, when Sun Yat-sen took office as the interim president, he used the expression "New Year's Day, the first year of the Republic of China" in official documents for the first time, marking the formal establishment of the concept of "New Year's Day" in official documents.

4. The first New Year's Day holiday in New China On September 27, 1949, the first Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference decided to adopt the world's common AD calendar and designated New Year's Day on January 1, 1950 as a holiday. This is the first time since the founding of New China that "New Year's Day" has become a legal public holiday.
5. How to celebrate New Year's Day Today, New Year's Day has become a global holiday, and people in different countries and regions celebrate this special day in their own unique ways. In China, people hold various celebration activities, such as theatrical performances, fireworks shows, family gatherings, New Year's Eve countdowns, etc., to welcome the arrival of the new year. At the same time, New Year's Day has also become an important moment for people to reflect on the past and plan for the future, inspiring everyone to move forward courageously and continuously in the new year. As this new year is approaching, let us celebrate New Year's Day together and welcome the new year with gratitude for the past and longing for the future. I wish everyone a happy New Year, all the best, happiness and health in the new year!