Canthan New Year
“On January 31st, at Noon Pacific (-8 GMT), Cantha begins a weeklong celebration with festive item drops and games in Shing Jea Boardwalk. It all culminates on February 6th with a feast for the celestial visitor, every three hours starting at 12:01 AM Pacific. For more information, visit www.guildwars.com. [sic]
“Join the people of Cantha as they prepare a heavenly feast to honor the Celestial Animal of the coming year! This annual week-long celebration features Canthan cuisine, festive fireworks, special prizes, and the famed Shing Jea Boardwalk!
| Animal | Year |
|---|---|
| Pig | 2019 |
| Rat | 2020 |
| Ox | 2021 |
| Tiger | 2022 |
| Rabbit | 2023 |
| Dragon | 2024 |
| Snake | 2025 |
| Horse | 2026 |
| Sheep | 2027 |
| Monkey | 2028 |
| Rooster | 2029 |
| Dog | 2030 |
| Pig | 2031 |
The Canthan New Year, or Lunar Festival, is a special event that occurs annually from January 31, 20:00, to February 7, 20:00 UTC,[1] which celebrates the particular Celestial Animal which will watch over Canthans during the coming year. During the celebrations Canthan citizens work to prepare special meals for the Celestial Animal and if the animal is pleased, it will bestow good luck upon the citizens. The primary celebrations occur on Shing Jea Island on the Shing Jea Boardwalk, but Canthan citizens have brought the tradition on a smaller scale to both Lion's Arch and Kamadan.
Schedule[edit]
| PST (UTC-8) | UTC / GMT[1] | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Noon, 31 January | 20:00, 31 January | Start of the event. |
| 12:01 am, 6 February until 12:01 am, 7 February | 08:01, 6 February until 08:01, 7 February | Finales every 3 hours. (See accompanying chart.) |
| Noon, 7 February | 20:00, 7 February | End of the event. Celestial Miniature Token-related NPCs (i.e. Ikura and Qili), Lunar Fortune Giver, Lunar Gift Keepers, Rollerbeetle Trainers (who still allows access to the Rollerbeetle Racing outpost and its NPCs, but nothing happens when you click "Enter Battle"), Seiji, and Sheng Yi continue to appear. |
| Noon, 14 February | 20:00, 14 February | All remaining Canthan New Year NPCs disappear. |
| PST (UTC-8) |
UTC / GMT (24 hr format) |
|---|---|
| 12:01 am | 08:01 |
| 3:01 am | 11:01 |
| 6:01 am | 14:01 |
| 9:01 am | 17:01 |
| 12:01 pm | 20:01 |
| 3:01 pm | 23:01 |
| 6:01 pm | 02:01 February 7 |
| 9:01 pm | 05:01 February 7 |
| 12:01 am February 7 |
08:01 February 7 |
Finale[edit]
Several chefs stand in Shing Jea Monastery. They collect specific ingredients during the finale. For each ingredient your character turns in, you receive a Lunar Token from that chef.
| Imperial Chef Yan (Appetizers) |
Imperial Chef Reun (Salad) |
Imperial Chef Jiong (Soup) |
Imperial Chef Chen (Main Course) |
Imperial Chef Tian (Dessert) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Finale rewards[edit]
After the celestial feast has been offered, all characters in Shing Jea Monastery (including those in Shing Jea Boardwalk) will be rewarded with prizes in their inventory based on how many successful dishes are presented to the Celestial Animal in that district.
| Successful dishes |
 Lion Mask |
 Red Gift Bags |
 Crate(s) of Fireworks |
 Celestial Summoning Stones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0† | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 9 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 12 | 4 | ||
| 5 | 16 | 5 | 5 |
- † If zero dishes were successfully completed, every player character in the district are temporarily transformed by a disguise specific to that year (e.g. Celestial Snake appeared during Canthan New Year 2013 finales in the Year of the Snake and characters were transformed by Snake Form).
Decorated towns[edit]
Quests[edit]
These quests, except Take My Sister, Please, are only offered to characters that are level 5 or higher.
- Sunqua Vale
- Shing Jea Monastery
- Plains of Jarin
OR
Other festivities[edit]
Each Canthan New Year will make the Shing Jea Boardwalk, Dragon Arena, and Rollerbeetle Racing available for use as well. Lunar Tokens also randomly drop from PvE foes for the duration of the event.
Items[edit]
Miniatures[edit]
| Miniature | Introduced1 | From Lunar Fortunes2 |
|---|---|---|
 Pig3 |
2007 | 2007 |
 Celestial Pig |
20084 | 2019, 2031 |
 Celestial Rat |
2008 | 2008, 2020 |
 Celestial Ox |
2009 | 2009, 2021 |
 Celestial Tiger |
2010 | 2010, 2022 |
 Celestial Rabbit |
2011 | 2011, 2023 |
 Celestial Dragon |
2012 | 2012, 2024 |
 Celestial Snake |
2013 | 2013, 2025 |
 Celestial Horse |
2013 | 2014, 2026 |
 Celestial Sheep |
2013 | 2015, 2027 |
 Celestial Monkey |
2013 | 2016, 2028 |
 Celestial Rooster |
2013 | 2017, 2029 |
 Celestial Dog |
2013 | 2018, 2030 |
- All Canthan New Year miniatures became available after the introduction of the Celestial Miniature Token in Canthan New Year 2013.
- These miniatures dropped from the Lunar Fortunes acquired during that year's Canthan New Year event.
- Miniature Pigs were given to every character in a 2007 district that had a successful finale; they also dropped from 2007 Lunar Fortunes (i.e. Lunar Fortune [Year of the Pig]).
- Miniature Celestial Pigs were available in 2008 from collectors in exchange for 5 Miniature Pigs.
NPCs[edit]
These Canthan New Year NPCs appear with Shing Jea Boardwalk event NPCs:
| Shing Jea Monastery | Lion's Arch | Kamadan, Jewel of Istan | Great Temple of Balthazar |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Collectors[edit]
| Name | Location | Collects | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kao Tseng | Shing Jea Monastery | 25 Festival Tickets | Factions |
| Lunar Fortune Giver | Shing Jea Monastery | 3 Lunar Tokens | Factions |
| Lunar Gift Keeper | Shing Jea Monastery | 5 Lunar Tokens | Factions |
| Qili | Shing Jea Monastery | 1 Celestial Miniature Token | Factions |
| Seiji | Shing Jea Monastery | 5 Victory Tokens | Factions |
| Sheng Yi | Shing Jea Monastery | 10 Victory Tokens | Factions |
| Lunar Gift Keeper | Lion's Arch | 5 Lunar Tokens | Prophecies |
| Zaishen Supply Master | Lion's Arch | 5 Victory Tokens | Prophecies |
| Zaishen Supply Master | Lion's Arch | 10 Victory Tokens | Prophecies |
| Lunar Gift Keeper | Kamadan, Jewel of Istan | 5 Lunar Tokens | Nightfall |
| Zaishen Supply Master | Kamadan, Jewel of Istan | 5 Victory Tokens | Nightfall |
| Zaishen Supply Master | Kamadan, Jewel of Istan | 10 Victory Tokens | Nightfall |
| Little Jack | Rollerbeetle Racing | 200 Racing Medals | Core |
| Lunar Gift Keeper | Great Temple of Balthazar | 5 Lunar Tokens | Core |
| Zaishen Supply Master | Great Temple of Balthazar | 5 Victory Tokens | Core |
| Zaishen Supply Master | Great Temple of Balthazar | 10 Victory Tokens | Core |
Gallery[edit]
Notes[edit]
- This event occurs around the Lunar New Year
- During each Canthan New Year:
- Guff Hufflebeak and Jiaru have different dialogues.
- A different Lunar Fortune is available from Lunar Fortune Giver and Lucky Hochei (e.g. Lunar Fortune [Year of the Snake] was available during Canthan New Year 2013).
- The Canthan New Year finale often sees many guilds and alliances "sponsoring" a district - providing all the ingredients for the feast. To find out whether a district is being sponsored, look in the Party Search panel or ask in the chat window. See this list for guild and alliance patrons that frequently hosts events.
Trivia[edit]
- Canthan New Year draws inspiration from the Chinese New Year. Among many similarities, the zodiacal animals match with Chinese astrology, the Nian are creatures from the Chinese New Year, and the festival culminates in a huge banquet.
- Beginning with Canthan New Year 2013, the duration of the event was extended from a weekend to a week long event. The start and end of the event was also changed to fixed dates instead of occurring on the weekend immediately after or during Chinese New Year, which cause finales to no longer always occur on a Sunday and Monday (PST and UTC).
- Prior to 2013, the Canthan New Year occurred on the weekend immediately after or during Chinese New Year, with the exception of 2012:
Year Canthan New Year Chinese New Year 2007 16 – 19 February 18 February 2008 8 – 11 February 7 February 2009 30 January – 2 February 26 January 2010 12 – 15 February 14 February 2011 3 – 7 February 3 February 2012 2 – 6 February 23 January
References[edit]
External links[edit]
| Special events | |
|---|---|
| Canthan New Year | 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 onward |
| April Fools' Day | 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 onward |
| Anniversary Celebration | 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th-14th • 15th onward |
| Dragon Festival | 2006 • 2007 (Redux) • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 onward |
| Wintersday in July | 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 onward |
| Halloween | 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 (Redux) • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 onward |
| Wintersday | 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 (Redux) • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 onward |
| Other annual events | Breast Cancer Awareness Month • Lucky Treats Week • Pirate Week Special Treats Week • Sweet Treats Week • Wayfarer's Reverie |
| One-time only events | Day of the Tengu • Farewell to Gaile |
