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Set by the lunisolar calendar, so it moves each year between January 21 and February 20, on the new moon.
2027: 2027 begins the Year of the Goat (sometimes called the Year of the Sheep) on February 6.
Check the date early, because it can fall in January or February. Invite families to share traditions if they wish, and plan around the celebrations, since some students may be away. A one-week focus works well: start with the lunar calendar and moon phases, then traditions by country, then art and writing. Avoid crafts that only use red and gold paper with no learning behind them.
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Lunar New Year marks the start of a new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, falling on a new moon between late January and mid-February. It is celebrated by hundreds of millions of people across East and Southeast Asia and in Asian American communities, and in 2023 New York State made it a public school holiday statewide.
It is not one single festival. In China it is the Spring Festival (Chunjie), lasting about two weeks and ending with the Lantern Festival. In Vietnam it is Tet (Tet Nguyen Dan), and in Korea it is Seollal. Traditions include cleaning the home to sweep out bad luck, family reunion dinners, honoring ancestors, giving red envelopes of money (hongbao in Mandarin, li xi in Vietnamese) and, in Korea, sebae bows to elders.
Schools mark it because it reflects the heritage of many students and is a natural way into astronomy, calendars, geography and cultural traditions. Done well, it shows the diversity within Asian cultures rather than treating them as one.
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Young children respond to the story of the zodiac animal race, colors, music and sharing food with family. Keep it joyful and concrete, and make clear that many different families celebrate in their own ways.
Retell the legend of the zodiac animal race with puppets, then order the 12 animals as they crossed the river and talk about which animal was clever, kind or fast.
Children put a set number of play coins or counters into paper red envelopes and count, compare and match quantities.
Fold and cut simple paper lanterns, practicing scissor skills and patterns, and hang them to make a class display.
Share photos or stories of how families celebrate special days, including Lunar New Year, and notice what is the same and different.
Introduce the idea that different countries celebrate Lunar New Year and that the calendar follows the moon. Children can compare traditions and practice counting and patterns with the zodiac cycle.
Observe and draw moon phases over a few weeks, then explain that Lunar New Year starts at the new moon.
Locate China, Vietnam and Korea on a map and compare one tradition from each country using a simple Venn diagram.
Use the 12-year cycle to work out which animal comes next, and find the animal for family members' birth years by counting on.
Students write a kind wish for their family or class for the year ahead and illustrate it.
Students can explore how lunisolar calendars work, why the date changes each year and how traditions carry meaning. Draw on real families' experiences and good informational texts rather than generalizations.
Compare a 365-day solar year with 12 lunar months of about 29.5 days, calculate the difference and explain why a leap month is sometimes added.
Work out the zodiac animal for any year by dividing by 12 and using the remainder, then check with a chart.
Read two informational texts about Lunar New Year in different countries and write a compare-and-contrast paragraph with evidence.
Explore Chinese paper-cutting (jianzhi), a UNESCO-listed tradition, and design a symmetrical paper-cut using folding.
Middle schoolers can study the history and geography behind the festival, the role of migration in Asian American communities and how celebrations differ across countries. Encourage research over stereotypes.
Research the agricultural roots of the festival and the legend of Nian, and explain how traditions have changed over time.
Investigate the history of Chinatown celebrations, including San Francisco's parade, and connect it to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and later immigration.
Interpret data on Spring Festival travel (chunyun) and calculate rates, averages and scale comparisons.
Listen to drum, gong and cymbal patterns used in lion dance and compose a short rhythmic sequence in groups.
High school students can examine culture, identity and economics: how diasporas maintain traditions, how the holiday affects the global economy and how different communities name and celebrate it.
Analyze how factory shutdowns and consumer spending during the Spring Festival affect supply chains and trade data.
Read short texts or memoir excerpts by Asian American writers about family celebrations and discuss how tradition shapes identity.
Use the Metonic cycle (19 years and 235 lunar months) to model how lunisolar calendars stay aligned with the seasons.
Research how and why some districts made Lunar New Year a school holiday and debate the criteria districts should use.
A few things worth thinking about before you plan, so every child in the room feels included and the facts stay accurate.
It falls on the new moon between January 21 and February 20, so the date changes each year. Celebrations in China last about two weeks and end with the Lantern Festival. Check the date at the start of the year so you can plan around family celebrations.
Both are used. Lunar New Year is the inclusive term for the many communities that celebrate, including Chinese, Vietnamese (Tet) and Korean (Seollal). Use the specific name when teaching about a particular country's traditions.
Use authentic texts and voices, show the differences between countries, connect it to real learning such as the lunar calendar and avoid costume-style crafts. Invite families to contribute if they want to, rather than expecting students to represent their culture.
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