The word "New Year's Day" first appeared in the Book of Jin: "The first month of Meng Xia is the first month of Zhui Emperor, but it is actually the spring of New Year's Day". In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xiao Ziyun's poem "Jieya" in the Southern Dynasties: "New Year's Day with Four Spirits, Long Life is Today", and Wu Zimu's "Menglianglu" in the Song Dynasty: "The first month is the first month, which is called New Year's Day. The first day of the first lunar month was called "New Year's Day". Yuan means "early" and "beginning", Dan means the time of dawn, and New Year's Day is collectively called "the initial day", that is, the first day of the year.

New Year's Day in modern China has been listed as a legal holiday and has become a national holiday. A day off is often adjusted with the weekend before or after New Year's Day, and generally takes three consecutive days off. Compared with the Spring Festival, the celebration of New Year's Day in modern China is much less important. General units and enterprises will hold year-end collective celebrations, but there are few folk activities.

Calendar concept

China's concept of "New Year's Day" always refers to the first day of the first month. The calculation method of "the first month" was also very inconsistent before the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, the new year's day of the past dynasties is not consistent. The first month of the summer calendar in summer is spring January, the first month of the Yin calendar in Shang Dynasty is winter December, and the first month of the Zhou calendar is winter November.

After the Qin Dynasty, October in winter was the first month, that is, the first day of October was New Year's Day. Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it has been stipulated that January in spring is the first month, and the first day of January is called New Year's Day, which has been used until the end of the Qing Dynasty. "The first day of the first month" was called "Yuan Zheng" in Cui Yuan's "The Inscription of Sanzi Chai" in Han Dynasty, and "Yuan Chen" in Yu's interpretation of Yang Du Fu in Jin Dynasty. In the Northern Qi Dynasty, it was called "Yuan Chun" in Yuan Hui's Song of Emperor Xia Ci, and it was called "Yuan Shuo" in Li Shi's "Yuan Ri retired from the DPRK to watch the army fight and return to camp".

Reference to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-New Year's Day