Chinese New Year, the day of celebration that marks the beginning of a new Lunar year, is here.
It's a day for celebrations all around the world, including for Asian communities in the UK, as we enter the year of the tiger.
Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer have both wished those celebrating a happy Lunar New Year, but if you wanted to do it properly, in Mandarin or Cantonese, how would we do it? And why is Chinese New Year later than our New Year celebrations? Read on for the answers to those questions and more.
READ MORE - Chinese New Year: The significance of the Year of the Tiger, and what it means for you
How to say Happy New Year in Cantonese and Mandarin
Two languages dominate China: Cantonese and Mandarin. One tends to be spoken more than the other depending on which region of China you find yourself. We've therefore got both translations for you.
In Mandarin, a formal way of saying Happy New Year would be "Xīnnián kuàilè" (phonetically pronounced "Shin-nyen Kwai-le"), which translates to "New Year happiness". Informally, you can say "Xīn ián hǎo" (phonetically pronounced "Shin-nyen haow"), which translates to "New Year goodness".
In Cantonese, meanwhile, you can say "Sun Leen Fai Lok", which means "happy New Year", or "Gong hei fat choy", which means "wishing you prosperity ad good health".
Why is Chinese New Year after the western New Year?
The Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, occurs on the new moon that happens between January 21 and February 20, which this year falls on February 1.
It is held on this day as the Chinese calendar is more closely based on the movements of the sun and moon than our Gregorian calendar.
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