What's in a name for Chunjie, now put on UNESCO list?

On Dec 4, 2024, Chunjie was included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. While this recognition marks a significant milestone for Chinese culture, it also reignites an ongoing debate: What is the most appropriate English translation of Chunjie?

For decades, Chunjie has been widely translated as "Spring Festival" in English, a term now adopted by UNESCO in its lowercase form. However, according to English orthography, the name of a festival is a proper noun and should be capitalized — hence, "Spring Festival" is the grammatically correct form.

Beyond this, three main English translations are currently in use: Spring Festival, Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year. All the three terms are documented in major Chinese-English dictionaries, with "Spring Festival" being the most favored, followed by "Chinese New Year".