Chiseian New Year

The Chiseian New Year is a festival and national holiday commemorating the first day of the Chiseian calendar, derived from the. It is the most important traditional and civic holiday in Chisei, and it is also celebrated by Chiseian diaspora internationally. The New Year begins on the second new moon following the winter solstice.

Throughout most of Chisei, the period is known as the Spring Festival (春節, Shirakawan: Shunsechi, Saramosiri: Paykarupu), derived from the Huaxian calendar. Chiseian Tsahars refer to the New Year as ('White Moon'), however it is a distinct festival from the Tsagaan Sar celebrated by Tsahars in Kuiju, Liang or Arshavat, which is based on the Wuluk lunisolar calendar and often does not closely coincide with the Chiseian New Year.

Owing to the ethnic and cultural diversity of Chisei, traditional New Year celebrations vary greatly by region. There are also a number of modern customs that have arisen on the national level.

Regional customs
New Year customs vary greatly throughout Chisei, particularly between different ethnic and cultural groups. However there are common themes throughout the country thanks to shared influence from Huaxia, the widespread Siddhist and Jindo faiths, and the centuries-long mingling of Shirakawan and Saramosiri traditions. In general, festivities start from New Years Day itself, and continue for the first week (10 days in the Chiseian calendar), or sometimes 15 days, afterwards.

Preceding days
Rāhachi (臘八, Saramosiri: Irapa, Geusyoan: Rabä, Kitahashinese: Rōhachi) is a holiday celebrated on the eight day of the twelth month. It is one of the most important holidays of the year for Siddhists, especially the Sanmichi and Iren schools, corresponding to the day that the first in this world attained liberation. It is also known as Gedachi-kwe (解脫會, literally 'Mukti day') in Tenjō Siddhism. For many schools in Geusyo and Shirakawa, the holiday is observed with long hours of all-night meditation by monks and lay followers. In Uraan and Saramosir, it is more commonly observed with a traditional meal of spirits, rice cakes, millet dumplings and readings. In Kitahashi, laypersons often take two or three days to make a short pilgrimage to a temple, aiming to reach their destination on the day of the holiday, where they meditate, chant sutras and share meals with fellow pilgrims.

In Saramosiri religion, the last two days before New Years belong to the Iyomante ritual, where  (gods or spirits, found in animals, landforms and everyday objects) are "sent back" to their homes in the heavens. The rituals center around the idea of releasing the kamuy from their disguises, their hayopke, that they have put on to visit the human world in order to receive gifts from the humans. On the day before New Years Eve, men and children create prayer sticks () for the altar (nusa-san), ceremonial arrows, liquor, and gifts for the spirit in order to prepare for the ritual. Bonfires are constructed, prayers are offered to ape-kamuy, and dances, songs, and  are performed. On New Year's eve, people offer their gifts to the kamuy, making wishes for the coming year. The kamuy are burnt upon the bonfires, destroying their hayopke and allowing them to return to heaven, where they can then claim their gifts from the humans, and spread the word to other kamuy of human generosity. A similar custom is practiced in Shirakawa and Geusyo, where offerings are given to the household god Kamado-no-kamu (灶神), and paper effigies of him are burnt so that he may report to the Heavenly Court.

The last day before New Year is known as Black Moon Day (暗月/黒月 Kuratsuki, Kunnecup). Beyond the usual traditional customs, it is also a major shopping holiday and the last day before many businesses close or adopt shorter hours for the New Year.

Across Chisei, it is often seen as bad luck to clean during the New Year, as it is 'sweeping fortune away'. Thus, families clean their homes thoroughly in the days before the New Year.

Length of celebrations
Legally, the New Year holiday period is defined as the first Chiseian week (旬 jun) or 10 days of the year. However traditional festivities vary and often continue as late as the 15th day of the month, particularly in southern Chisei and Uraan. In Geusyo, the 15th day is the Festival of Fire; by day, shrines perform rituals warding against wildfires and disasters, and by night families carry lanterns and place candles in the street to guide wayward spirits home. If a member of the family has passed in the last year, a visit is also made to the family graves, with offerings made of spirits and rice to send the spirit off.

Business & Commercialisation
Since 1948, Chiseian businesses have been legally required to provide at least 5 days of paid time off over the New Year period for all employees, with at least one of those days falling on New Years Day itself, unless specifically requested otherwise by the employee. Consequently many businesses are closed, or open with limited hours, through part of or the entire 10 day festivities. Despite this, New Years remains the busiest time of year for retail, service and food industries. It is also the second busiest time of the year for the tourist sector, after mid-summer, and is extremely lucrative for airlines and domestic tourist agencies, as millions of Chiseians return home to celebrate with family.

Black Moon Day is a massive national shopping holiday, with many companies providing massive discounts on a range of products. This custom has spread internationally through Chiseian exports since the 1990s, and with the growth of international online commerce has been partially adopted by companies in many countries that do not otherwise celebrate the Chiseian New Year. For example, Zusian tech giant Omnihaus, the world's largest online marketplace, began offering major Black Moon Day sales in 2010. Many other Amphian and Valeyan companies have since followed their lead.

In Chisei, many have criticised the growing commercialisation of the holiday by both domestic conglomerates and foreign multinationals, as well as the increasing pressure on workers to work through the entire holiday season instead of spending time with their families. In 2019 the Yamataian fast food giant Ichibanya was criticised after it was revealed that managers had pressured workers in several Chiseian branches to 'voluntarily' renounce their holiday offtime, threatening them with dismissal or docked wages, to allow the restaurant chain to maintain its regular opening hours through the holiday season.

Royal customs & Politics
Since the beginning of the Shun dynasty, the Spring Festival has held a special importance for the Monarchy of Chisei. The nation celebrates the birth and continued health of the Taiwō on the tenth day. This includes visits to major national shrines and various military parades, the largest of which is the Eito Imperial Parade. The Spring Speech is an important address made by the Taiwō before the Grand Assembly, which has been broadcasted nationwide by radio and television since 1932. The speech includes both good wishes and blessings from the monarch to the people for the coming year, and also outlines the yearly agenda of the Royal Government. The Chamberlain of the Grand Assembly is also always elected on this day.

As Chiseian general elections are always scheduled in the third or fourth months of a year, barring a snap election, New Year is typically the deadline for new party and candidate registrations in election years, and usually begins in earnest immediately after the festival period. Since the early 2000s, it has become increasingly common for political candidates to distribute leaflets and political literature in red envelopes over the holiday, and make publicised visits/donations to shrines or regional festivals as part of their campaign.

Overseas influence
Elements of Chiseian New Year traditions can be found throughout the former Chiseian empire, including Kuiju, south Escar and western Osova. In many former Chiseian territories, such as Jyugoku and Masuka, local calendars remain roughly aligned with the Chiseian system, and thus these countries celebrate their respective New Years simultaneously with the Chiseian Spring Festival. As a major world power historically and into the present day, the Chiseian traditions have also permeated into other celebrations across Western Escar, and even into Valeya and Amphia.