Why is the Chinese new year so long?

it has a longer duration to allow travel of families from farther away to go home and be with families. This may be the only time in the year that families will get together. Some companies have make up days for work.

This is because it follows the lunar calendar, based on the movement of the moon. Usually, it falls on a day between mid-January and mid-February. In 2021, Chinese New Year falls on February 12.

It is the longest public holiday and the whole country is on the move.
Most employees have 7-12 days off the work, and students have one month winter vacation. The 2021 Chinese New Year holiday is from Feruary 11th to 17th.

No matter where they are, people try their best to return home for a family reunion, like westerners attempting to spend Christmas with their families. Meanwhile, some families travel together during the holiday. This makes the world’s largest annual migration, known as the Spring Festival Travel Rush. The total trips made by plane, train, bus and ship can reach nearly 3 billion.