Specifically, after the 30th of Lunar New Year 2024, it will not be until 2033 (solar calendar) that Vietnamese people will celebrate New Year's Eve on the 30th of Tet. The reason is that from 2025 to the end of 2032, New Year's Eve will only be on the night of December 29.
On Vietnamese social networking sites, this information was quickly shared and received the attention of many people. Many opinions expressed surprise, while others questioned whether the information was correct or not.
For the next 8 years, Vietnamese people will not be able to celebrate New Year's Eve on the 30th of Tet.
According to Mr. Pham Vu Loc, a researcher at the Vietnam Space Center, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, the above information shared on social networks is accurate.
Mr. Pham Vu Loc said that a lunar month must closely follow the phase changes of the moon from no moon, crescent moon, half moon, waning moon, full moon and vice versa. Each month begins on a no moon day, which is the day when the moon is on the same side as the sun. This time is called the new moon point and whichever day it falls on will be the first day of the lunar month.
The time from one new moon to the next (called a lunar phase) varies from month to month. This is because the orbit of the earth around the sun and the orbit of the moon around the earth are ovals, not circular, so the speed of the sun and moon moving across the sky is not even, causing the time for them to meet again (called conjunction) to be different each month.
Accordingly, the average length of the lunar phase is 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes and fluctuates more or less than this value by up to 7 hours. As a result, from this new moon point (calculated as the 1st) to the next new moon point can fall on the 30th day or the 31st day. This day becomes the 1st day of the following month and the previous month will respectively have 29 or 30 days (called a short or full month).
Below is a comparison table of the length of the December moon phase for 10 consecutive years starting from this year. It can be seen that the length of the moon phase fluctuates, but because the new moon occurs early on the 1st of December, the new moon phase of the following January still falls within the 30th day from that day. This 30th day becomes the 1st day of the Lunar New Year and December stops on the 29th day immediately before that.
According to researchers at the Vietnam Space Center, with today's computing level, the accuracy of the parameters can exceed seconds. The length of the lunar phase and the new moon point changes every month depending on many factors, so it is impossible to determine a rule but must calculate accurately according to the reality of each month. Not only December, any lunar month can be lacking or full.
Therefore, the fact that December is missing for 8 consecutive years is just a coincidence, not a regularity of the calendar. Moreover, the lunar calendar has been used for a long time in our country from ancient times to the present, this phenomenon is nothing special. For example, from the year of Binh Than (2016) to the year of Canh Ty (2020), there were 5 consecutive years with a full December.
“The Lunar New Year in our country has a New Year's Eve which is the last day of the old year. This day is often called the 30th of Tet by the people. However, as explained above, the last day of the year is not necessarily the 30th of December but can also be the 29th. Whether it is the 29th or the 30th, it does not affect the traditional New Year customs that are still passed down and practiced by our people every year,” said Mr. Loc.
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