Chinese New Year, Lunar 按陰歷的 New Year, or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. The festival traditionally 傳統(tǒng)上 begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar [?k?lind?]日歷  and ends with Lantern Festival 元宵節(jié) which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve, a day where Chinese families gather [?ɡ?e?]聚集，集合 for their annual [??nju?l]一年一度的 reunion [?ri:?ju:ni?n] dinner 團(tuán)圓飯, is known as chú xī (除夕). It literally means "Year-pass Eve".

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity 慶典 in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The origin [??rid?in]起源 of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance [siɡ?nifik?ns]重大意義 because of several myths 神話 and traditions. Ancient Chinese New Year is a reflection [ri?flek??n]反映 on how the people behaved 表現(xiàn) and what they believed in the most.

In countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, although Chinese New Year is not an official 官方的 holiday, many ethnic Chinese hold large celebrations 慶祝儀式 and Australia Post, Canada Post, and the US Postal Service issue發(fā)行 New Year's themed 主題的 stamps.