A 2026 guide to Lunar New Year as we gallop into the Year of the Horse
By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN
Grab your saddle and put on your riding boots — it’s time to stampede into the Year of the Horse. Lunar New Year, widely considered the most important event of the year in China and Chinese communities around the planet, is nearly here.
Marking the first new moon of the lunar calendar, it falls on February 17 in 2026, kicking off the 15-day Spring Festival. Celebrations vary depending on the country or region, but there are a few common traditions.
Whether you’re unfamiliar with the occasion or need a refresher, this guide to ushering in the Year of the Horse has you covered.
Why is it the Year of the Horse?
Incredibly complex, the Chinese zodiac calendar is best described as a 12-year cycle represented by 12 animals, in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
Your personal zodiac animal sign is determined by your year of birth, meaning 2026 will welcome plenty of baby Horses. Children born in the last lunar calendar year were Snakes, while those born on or after the Lunar New Year in 2027 will be Goats, and so on.
And every year, a heavenly stem (one of five elements, which fall into the yin or yang category) is paired with an earthly branch (one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals). This year, the heavenly stem is “Bing” (big sun) and the earthly branch is “Wu” (the Horse), making it the Year of the Fire Horse.
Followers believe that for each Chinese zodiac sign, luck will depend largely on the positions of the Tai Sui — a collective name for the stellar deities thought to rotate parallel to and in the opposite direction of Jupiter.
Geomancy masters may interpret the data differently, but there is usually a consensus on what the year means for each zodiac animal based on the positions of the stars.
For many followers, the Lunar New Year is an ideal time to visit a temple to make blessings depending on what the stars have to say about their particular zodiac sign for the coming months.
Why light firecrackers and wear red? Meet Nian
There are countless folktales attached to Lunar New Year, but the myth of Nian stands out as one of the most fun.
According to the legend, every Lunar New Year’s Eve this ferocious underwater beast with sharp teeth and horns would crawl onto the land and attack a nearby village.
On one such occasion, as the villagers rushed into hiding, a mysterious old man showed up and insisted on sticking around despite warnings of impending doom.
To the villagers’ surprise, the old man and the village survived utterly unscathed.
The man claimed to have scared Nian away by hanging red banners on his door, lighting firecrackers and donning red clothing.
This is why wearing the fiery color, along with hanging banners and lighting firecrackers or fireworks, are Lunar New Year traditions, all of which are still followed today.
The preparation
Like many major holidays, Lunar New Year can be a lot of work. Festivities often last for 15 days — sometimes even more — with different tasks and activities taking place over that period.
It all begins about a week ahead of the new year.
To kick things off, festive cakes and puddings are made on the 24th day of the last lunar month (February 11 in 2026). Why? The word for cakes and puddings is gao in Mandarin and gou in Cantonese, which sound the same as the word for “tall.”
That means eating these treats is believed to lead to improvements and growth in the coming year. (If you haven’t prepared your own “gou” yet, here’s an easy recipe for radish cake, a beloved Lunar New Year dish.)
And don’t forget about our friend Nian. No Lunar New Year preparation would be complete without the hanging of red banners bearing auspicious phrases and idioms (called fai chun in Cantonese and chunlian in Mandarin) at home — beginning with one’s front door.
These will perform double duty — keep Nian away and invite good fortune.
Some of the prep work isn’t quite as enjoyable. Many believe that a big cleanup should take place at home on the 28th day of the last lunar month, which falls on February 15 this year.
The aim is to rid your home of any bad luck that’s accumulated over the past year. Some believers won’t even sweep or take out the trash for the first five days of the new year, fearing they will wash away all that fresh good luck.
On a related note, many say you shouldn’t wash or cut your hair on the first day of the new year either.
Why? Because the Chinese character for the word hair is the first character in the word for prosper. So washing or cutting it off is seen as washing your fortune away.
(Read more Lunar New Year do’s and don’ts here.)
Lunar New Year’s Eve: The big feast
A big family reunion dinner is usually held on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on February 16 this year.
The menu is carefully chosen to include dishes associated with luck, including fish (the Chinese word for it also sounds like “surplus”), puddings (symbolizes advancement) and foods that look like gold ingots (such as dumplings).
In China, the foods served at these classic dinners vary depending on the region. For instance, in some northern areas people tend to serve dumplings and noodles, whereas the south can’t live without steamed rice.
Lunar New Year feasts may look very different outside of China. In Malaysia and Singapore, gatherings aren’t complete without a loud and chaotic “prosperity toss,” or yusheng, when diners stir and toss thinly sliced vegetables and raw fish with chopsticks before a meal.
Lunar New Year’s Day: Family visits and red packets
The first few days of the Lunar New Year, especially the first two days, are often a test of one’s stamina, appetite and social skills, as many people have to travel and visit immediate family, other relatives and friends.
Bags are stocked with presents and fruits to give out at people’s homes. Visitors will be showered with gifts after catching up over Lunar New Year treats.
In many families, married people are expected to give out red packets filled with money to those who haven’t yet tied the knot — both children and unmarried juniors.
It’s believed these envelopes — known as hongbao/lai see — can protect children by warding off evil spirits, called sui.
Other countries have their own traditions. In South Korea, for instance, the Lunar New Year festival is called Seollal. The first three days are filled with tributes to ancestors, festive games and foods such as rice cakes (tteokguk) and pancakes (jeon).
Day 3: Visit a temple
Day three of the Lunar New Year, which falls on February 19, is named chi kou/cek hau, or red mouth.
It’s believed that arguments are more likely to happen on this day, so some people will avoid social interactions and visit temples to make offerings to offset any potential bad luck.
As noted earlier, for many people Lunar New Year is a time to consult the stars to find out what lies ahead in the coming months.
Every year, certain Chinese zodiac signs clash with the stars negatively, so temple visits are considered a good way to resolve those conflicts and bring peace in the coming months.
Day 7: The people’s birthday
The seventh day of the Lunar New Year (February 23) is when followers believe the Chinese mother goddess, Nuwa, created humanity. Thus, it’s called renri/jan jat (the people’s birthday).
Different communities in Asia will serve various “birthday” foods on that day.
For example, Cantonese people eat dishes made of seven types of vegetables. In Malaysia and Singapore, the aforementioned “prosperity toss” might make an appearance on tables.
Day 15: The Lantern Festival
The highlight of the whole Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival happens on the 15th and final day (March 3 in 2026).
Called Yuan Xiao Jie in Mandarin Chinese, it’s considered the perfect ending to the weeks-long Lunar New Year preparations and celebrations.
The Lantern Festival celebrates the first full moon of the year — hence the name: Yuan means beginning; Xiao means night.
It marks the departure of winter and the beginning of the spring season.
On this day, people light lanterns to symbolize driving out darkness and bringing hope to the coming year.
In ancient Chinese society, it was the only day when young girls were allowed to go out to admire the lanterns and meet boys. As a result, it’s also been dubbed Chinese Valentine’s Day.
Nowadays, cities worldwide still put on massive lantern displays and fairs on the festival’s final day.
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