Grab your saddle, put on your riding boots, and let’s enter the Year of the Horse. The Lunar New Year, widely considered the most important event of the year in China and the Chinese community around the world, is approaching.
The first new moon of the lunar calendar falls on February 17, 2026, marking the beginning of the 15-day Chinese New Year. Celebrations vary by country and region, but there are some common traditions.
Whether you’re new to the event or need a refresher, this guide to welcoming the Year of the Horse will help.
The incredibly complex Chinese zodiac calendar is best described as a 12-year cycle represented by 12 animals. This order is: Child, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
Your zodiac sign is determined by your year of birth. That means a lot of baby horses will be born in 2026. Children born in the last year of the lunar calendar are snakes, children born after the lunar new year of 2027 are goats, and so on.
And every year, the Heavenly Stem (one of the five elements that fall into the Yin and Yang category) pairs with the Earth Branch (one of the twelve animals of the zodiac). This year, the heavenly branch is “bin” (big sun) and the earthly branch is “wu” (horse), making it the year of the fire horse.
Believers believe that in each Chinese zodiac sign, luck largely depends on the position of Tai Shui. Taisui is a general term for star gods that are thought to rotate parallel to Jupiter or in the opposite direction to Jupiter.
Although masters of geomancy may differ in their interpretation of the data, there is usually a consensus on what the year means for each zodiac animal based on the position of the stars.
For many believers, the Lunar New Year is an ideal time to visit temples and celebrate depending on what the stars say about their zodiac sign over the coming months.
Why do we light firecrackers and wear red clothes? meet nian
There are countless folktales associated with Chinese New Year, but the Nian myth stands out as one of the most entertaining.
According to legend, every Lunar New Year’s Eve, this ferocious underwater beast with sharp teeth and horns crawled onto land and attacked nearby villages.
One day, as the villagers rush into hiding, a mysterious old man appears and insists on staying put, despite warnings of impending doom.
To the villagers’ surprise, the old man and the village survived completely unharmed.
The man claimed to have threatened Ms Niang by hanging red banners on her door, setting off firecrackers and wearing red clothing to scare her away.
For this reason, wearing fiery colors, holding banners, and setting off firecrackers and fireworks became Chinese New Year traditions, all of which are still observed today.
Like many major holidays, Chinese New Year can be a daunting task. Festivals often last 15 days, sometimes longer, during which various tasks and activities take place.
It all starts about a week before the new year.
First, celebratory cakes and puddings are made on the 24th day of the last month of the lunar calendar (February 11th in 2026). why? The word for cake or pudding is “gao” in Mandarin and “gou” in Cantonese, which has the same sound as the word for “tall.”
That is, it is believed that eating these treats will lead to improvement and growth in the coming year. (If you haven’t prepared your own gou yet, here’s an easy recipe for radish cakes, a classic Lunar New Year dish.)
And don’t forget about our friend Nian. Preparations for Lunar New Year would not be complete without hanging red banners with auspicious phrases and idioms (called “faichun” in Cantonese and “chun lian” in Mandarin) on your doorstep.
These serve the dual role of keeping away Nian and attracting good fortune.
Some of the prep work isn’t all that fun. Many people believe that they should do some deep cleaning at home on the 28th day of the last month of the lunar calendar (February 15th this year).
The purpose is to rid the house of bad luck that has accumulated over the past year. Some believers do not clean or take out the trash during the first five days of the new year, fearing that all their fresh good fortune will be washed away.
In this connection, many say that on the first day of the new year you should not wash or cut your hair.
why? Because the kanji character for hair is the first letter of the word prosperity. Therefore, washing it or cutting it off is considered to wash away your luck.
(Click here to learn about the do’s and don’ts of Lunar New Year.)
The big family gathering dinner is usually held on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which this year falls on February 16th.
The menu features carefully selected auspicious dishes such as fish (which also means “surplus” in Chinese), pudding (symbol of success in life), and foods resembling gold nuggets (such as dumplings).
In China, the dishes served at these classic dinners vary by region. For example, some regions in the north tend to eat dumplings and noodles, while in the south people cannot survive without rice.
Chinese New Year feasts may look very different outside of China. In Malaysia and Singapore, no gathering is complete without the loud and chaotic “prosperity toss,” or yushen, in which thinly sliced vegetables or raw fish are stirred and tossed with chopsticks before a meal.
Lunar New Year: Family visits and red packets
The first few days of Chinese New Year, especially the first two days, often test physical strength, appetite, and social skills, as many people have to travel or visit immediate family, relatives, and friends.
The bags are filled with gifts and fruit to be distributed to people’s homes. Visitors are given gifts after eating Lunar New Year sweets.
In many families, married people are supposed to distribute red packets containing money to those who are not yet married, both children and unmarried juniors.
It is believed that these envelopes, known as hongbao/raishi, can protect children by warding off evil spirits called sui.
Other countries also have their own traditions. For example, in South Korea, the Lunar New Year festival is called Seollal. The first three days are filled with honoring ancestors, celebratory games, and foods such as rice cakes (deokguk) and pancakes (cheong).
The third day of Chinese New Year is February 19th and is called “Chikou” or “Chikou”.
It is believed that arguments are more likely to occur on this day, so some people avoid social interactions and visit temples to make offerings to offset potential bad luck.
As mentioned above, for many people, Chinese New Year is a time to consult the stars to find out what will happen in the coming months.
Every year, certain zodiac signs have a negative influence with the stars, so a temple visit is considered a good way to resolve those conflicts and bring peace for the coming months.
The seventh day of Lunar New Year (February 23) is the day when believers believe that the Chinese mother goddess, Nuwa, created humanity. Therefore, this day is called Renli/Jang Jat (People’s Birthday).
Different communities in Asia serve different “birthday” dishes on that day.
For example, Cantonese people eat dishes made with seven types of vegetables. In Malaysia and Singapore, the aforementioned ‘prosperity toss’ may be on the table.
The highlight of the entire Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, will be held on the last day, the 15th (March 3 in 2026).
It’s called “Yuan Xiaojie” in Mandarin and is considered the perfect end to weeks of Lunar New Year preparations and celebrations.
Lantern Festival celebrates the first full moon of the year. Hence the name Lantern Festival. “Gen” means the beginning. Xiao means night.
It marks the beginning of winter and the beginning of the spring season.
On this day, people light lanterns to symbolize driving out darkness and bringing hope for the coming year.
In ancient Chinese society, this day was the only day young girls were allowed to admire lanterns and go out to meet boys. Therefore, this day is also called Chinese Valentine’s Day.
Today, large-scale lantern displays and fairs are still held on the last day of the festival in cities around the world.
