The Chinese New Year festival traditionally lasts 15 days.
The celebration begins on Chinese New Year’s Eve or the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar and culminates with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day. The exact customs vary by region, family, and community, but the fifteen-day framework is the standard traditional description.
The final day is not simply another New Year celebration. The Lantern Festival, or Yuanxiao Festival, is marked by lantern displays, riddles, evening gatherings, and the eating of tangyuan—sweet glutinous-rice balls. Its full-moon timing gives the festival a distinct closing ceremony.
A common mix-up is confusing the traditional festival with China’s official public holiday, whose length has changed over time and is much shorter. In modern usage, some people also use “Chinese New Year” for only the first few days, while others mean the entire season through the Lantern Festival.