Dragon Dance to celebrate Chinese New Year


MANILA, Philippines – The Chinese New Year’s Day 2023 is on Sunday, January 22 based on the Chinese lunar calendar. But is it a holiday in the Philippines or possible to add January 23 (Monday) as non-working day?

Dragon Dance to celebrate Chinese New Year
A group of youths perform a Dragon Dance to celebrate Chinese New Year in Binondo, Manila | Photo Credit: PNA

In reference to the Presidential Proclamations No. 90 and 42 for the 2023 holidays in the Philippines, the celebration of Chinese New Year is NOT INCLUDED in the list of holidays declared by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.


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In previous years, Chinese New Year was included in the list of non-working days citing the occasion as “one of the most revered and festive events celebrated not only in China but also in the Philippines.”

Also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, the holiday falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice on December 21. Each year the New Year in China falls on a different date than on the Gregorian calendar. The dates usually range sometime between January 21 and February 20.


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Meanwhile, Senator Sonny Angara filed Senate Bill 1012 seeking to declare Chinese New Year a special non-working holiday in the Philippines in recognition of the contributions of the Chinese people to the country’s development as a nation.

Under Angara’s proposal, the Department of Labor and Employment and the Civil Service Commission, in consultation with the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc., shall determine and declare the date of Chinese New Year’s Day every year.

— The Summit Express