- Fran
Chinese New Year, Not Just for the Chinese
It's called Chinese New Year, but it's not just for the Chinese . Nine Asian countries have public holidays, accounting for 1/5 of the World's population who celebrates the day:
China: 1.3 billion in China get three days of public holiday.
Indonesia: 250 million people in Indonesia get one day of public holiday.
Philippines: 100 million get one day of public holiday.
Vietnam: 90 million people get at least three days of public holidays, but the holidays sometimes extends for an entire week by taking away weekends, as in China.
South Korea: 50 million people get three days of public holiday.
Malaysia: 30 million people get one day of public holiday.
North Korea: 24 million people get three days of public holiday.
Taiwan: 24 million people get four days of public holiday generally.
Brunei: One day of public holiday.
Singapore: Two days of public holiday.
Hong Kong: Three days of public holidays, extending to four days if the holidays fall on a Sunday.
Macau: Three days of public holiday, extending to four days if the holidays fall on a Sunday
Source: http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/new-year-facts.htm