17/02/2026
LUNAR NEW YEAR VS CHINESE NEW YEAR
(Ai đó giỏi tiếng Anh làm ơn làm clip trên tiktok phản pháo lại mấy con Hoa kiều phương Tây cái)
A few years ago, there was a big online debate about changing the English name of the Sinosphere’s traditional New Year from “Chinese New Year (CNY)” to “Lunar New Year (LNY)”. The discussion even influenced Western media, which began using “LNY” more often. Recently, however, some overseas Chinese communities in countries like Singapore and Malaysia have pushed back, arguing that it should be called CNY. This year, English-speaking Chinese creators in the West have revived the CNY/LNY drama.
Specifically, these people split their arguments into two arguments. The first is about the word “Lunar” in LNY - meaning the lunar calendar. They argue that the lunar calendar belongs to Muslims, and that LNY would have to fall in June, whereas the agricultural calendar of the Sinosphere is actually a lunisolar calendar, which is based on both the moon and the sun, not really lunar like the Islamic calendar. So technically, Lunar New Year is not an accurate term to refer to the New Year of the Sinosphere. That’s a fair point, it’s largely a translation issue across cultures.
BUT, the second argument is where it starts getting ridiculous. Overseas Chinese in the West claim that this East Asian agricultural calendar was created by China, and since East Asian countries celebrate according to this calendar, it must be called CNY to “respect” its origin. Even more absurd is that not only Chinese people but white Westerners have jumped into this debate too. Last year, right-wing boomers said that LNY was “woke” nonsense created by young people, before that, everyone called it CNY and there was no problem. This year, some white neoliberals along with overseas Chinese in the West claim that LNY is a colonial Western imposition on Chinese culture, equating China with Islam, erasing the presence of Chinese communities in the West and Sinophobia (hatred of China)… and so on. In short, they accuse LNY of being discriminatory/r@cist toward Chinese people???????
EXCUSE ME, the current Chinese agricultural calendar is not solely Chinese creation; it was heavily modified by Western Christian missionaries during the Ming - Qing period, so it is no longer a “purely Chinese” (original)” product. If we argue about the origin of the calendar like that, then when celebrating the New Year based on the modern calendar, should we call it Italian New Year? Greek New Year? Roman New Year? Gregorius New Year? And then Chinese English speakers along with white people claim that LNY is r@cist toward Chinese culture. Ironically, the West previously spent a long time insulting Asians in general by assuming Asia automatically equals China (pulling their eyes, saying “ni hao,” “ching chong” to Asians who aren’t Chinese). So NO, calling it Chinese New Year is a generalizing term used by ignorant Westerners who assume that this holiday in Asian countries is all Chinese culture, and it erases the indigenous cultures of other ethnic groups—it is still r@cist. When talking about cultural festivals, it’s not only about the “calendar” but also about the unique rituals and customs of each country:
In Vietnam, 卯 is the year of the cat, not the year of the rabbit like in China.
CNY does not have the custom of erecting a New Year bamboo pole
CNY does not have the custom of bathing with coriander leaves
CNY does not have bánh chưng and bánh giầy
CNY does not have the custom of bringing sacred fire from temples and pagodas back home
CNY does not have the custom of plucking spring buds for good luck
CNY does not have betel and areca on the ancestral altar
The five-fruit tray on a Chinese altar is different from the five-fruit tray in Vietnam,
CNY does not have the belief in the 12 Hành Khiển 行遣 (Xíng qiǎn)
The belief in the Kitchen God in China during the New Year differs from the Vietnamese Kitchen God belief
…… and more
Even if we consider the agricultural calendar and the timing of the festival, the Chinese lunar calendar differs by 1–2 days, sometime by 1 month, from the Vietnamese lunar calendar, so there is even less basis to call the New Year festivals of Asian countries that celebrate according to the lunisolar agricultural calendar “Chinese New Year.”
Overseas Chinese may not know or may deliberately ignore the fact that Asian countries would not have an issue with the term CNY if China did not frequently appropriate neighboring countries’ cultures or accuse Sinosphere cultures of stealing or imitating Chinese culture, when in fact ancient China imposed its culture on surrounding countries. Chinese people are free to call it Chūnjié 春节, just as Vietnamese people call it “Tết Nguyên đán” or Koreans call it Seollal (설날). Internationally, wish “Chinese New Year” to Chinese communities if you like, but don’t use CNY for other communities, don’t assume every Asian country celebrating the holiday is observing a Chinese festival. Calling every lunisolar New Year celebration “Chinese New Year” ignores these differences and can erase local identities, otherwise, you’ll just be ignorant, r@cist, or a cultural appropriate person.
Pic: Tringapore
