The United Nations (UN) has officially recognized the Lunar New Year as a floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings starting from 2024.
In a resolution, the UN General Assembly acknowledges the importance of the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated in many UN member states. It invites UN bodies at headquarters and other duty stations to avoid scheduling meetings on the Lunar New Year.
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| United Nations Headquarters in New York. |
The resolution, adopted on December 22 without a vote, encourages the consideration of this arrangement when creating future calendars of conferences and meetings.
The inclusion of the Lunar New Year as a floating holiday makes it the eighth holiday observed by UN staff worldwide, alongside Yom Kippur, Vesak Day, Diwali, Gurpurab, Orthodox Christmas, Orthodox Good Friday, and Nowruz.
In addition to Vietnam, the Lunar New Year is recognized as a public holiday in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Canada, Suriname, and some states in the US, including California and New York.
The Lunar New Year, also known as Tet, is the most significant traditional celebration in Vietnam and has been for centuries. It is not just a spiritual event that marks the transition from one year to another, but also a reflection of Vietnam’s national culture, encompassing its values and beliefs.
Vietnamese people believe that Tet signifies the start of a new year, a day filled with hope and optimism for new and good things to come, while bidding farewell to the old.
According to an official document approved by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday will take place from February 8 to 14, 2024, lasting for seven days.
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