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Lunar New Year: Phasing in the Year of the Horse

Red chinese lantern

Lunar New Year, sometimes called Chinese New Year, will be celebrated on February 17 in 2026. More than 20 percent of the world takes part in this holiday. The upcoming year is the Year of the Horse.

Lunar New Year is a time for family, traditions, and welcoming a fresh start. Many countries celebrate it in their own ways, but several customs are shared across cultures.


Fun Facts About Lunar New Year


  • Lunar New Year lasts fifteen days.

  • It is also known as the Spring Festival because it marks the end of cold weather.

  • The date changes every year because it follows the lunisolar calendar.

  • The holiday began as a day to pray for a good harvest

  • One legend tells of a monster scared away by fireworks, which is why fireworks are still used today. 

  • Many cultures use zodiac animals, although the animals differ by country. 

  • The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar that follows the Moon’s phases and Earth’s orbit around the Sun.

  • The Chinese zodiac has twelve animals.

  • Lion and Dragon Dance troupes help welcome the new year during festivals

  • Some families burn paper money or gold colored paper to honor ancestors

  • Nian gao, a type of rice cake, symbolizes success in the coming year

  • Red decorations and clothing are used because red is believed to protect against bad luck

  • In some traditions, people have a “real” age and a “fake” age that increases with the Lunar New Year. 

  • “Xin nian kuai le” means “happy new year” in Chinese. “Gong xi fa cai” is a Mandarin phrase that means “congratulations on the fortune.” 

  • The first full moon of the lunar year is celebrated during the Lantern Festival, also called the Yuanxiao Festival. 

  • Dumplings are a common food during the holiday and can be eaten for breakfast or lunch.


Ways You Can Celebrate

  • Visit a local Lunar New Year event or festival.

  • Learn more about the Chinese zodiac or compare zodiac animals from different countries.

  • Try dumplings for dinner or breakfast.

  • Read stories about Lunar New Year traditions and legends.

  • Explore how the “real age” and “fake age” traditions work.


Additional Reading


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Meagan Fuller
Meagan Fuller

Hello, my name is Meagan. I am currently a senior at Belhaven University. I am majoring in Theatre and minoring in Creative Writing. I am happy to join Her Nexx Chapter as a volunteer. This journey will allow me to work with a diverse group of women. My academic journey is rooted in storytelling. Therefore, I am excited for this opportunity to write about various topics for women to help them grow. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, writing fiction that focuses on empowering women, reading, developing my acting skills and yoga. My short stories, plays and poems appear in several publications (Pleiades Literary Magazine, Write for Mississippi, Belhaven University’s The Brogue). Oh, by the way, I am a cat lover.


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