Chinese New Year
2026: Year of the Horse

On 17 February 2026, the world’s most celebrated cultural festival returns as Chinese New Year ushers in the Year of the Fire Horse. After the contemplative, strategic energy of the Snake in 2025, the Horse arrives like a door flung open — bold, warm, and irresistibly forward-moving. This is a year that rewards action over deliberation, courage over caution, and the willingness to chase what sets your heart racing.

The Spring Festival, as it is known in China, is far more than a date on the calendar. It is the emotional centre of the year for billions of people — a homecoming, a reset, a collective exhale. For roughly fifteen days, from the reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve to the lantern-lit streets of the final night, families reconnect, traditions are honoured, and the slate is wiped clean for the year ahead.

What Is Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year marks the beginning of a new year according to the traditional Chinese calendar — a sophisticated system that has guided festivals, agriculture, and daily life across East Asia for well over three thousand years. Because this calendar follows a different cycle from the Gregorian calendar, the date shifts each year, landing somewhere between late January and mid-February.

In China, the festival is officially called Spring Festival (春节, Chūnjié), a name adopted in 1912 when the Republic of China began using the Gregorian calendar for civic purposes. But whatever you call it, the essence remains the same: a celebration of renewal, family, and hope. Homes are scrubbed clean, debts are settled, new clothes are bought, and the air fills with the sound of firecrackers and the smell of feasting.

The festival is observed across mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Chinese communities worldwide — from Sydney’s Chinatown to the parades of San Francisco and London. Neighbouring countries including Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore celebrate the same calendar date with their own distinct traditions and customs.

A Note on Naming: Why We Say “Chinese New Year”

You may have noticed that some organisations and media outlets use the term “Lunar New Year” instead of “Chinese New Year.” The reasoning is understandable — multiple cultures celebrate around this date, and “Lunar New Year” is intended as an inclusive umbrella term. But there are good reasons why we use “Chinese New Year” throughout this site, and they go beyond simple preference.

The first is technical accuracy. The traditional Chinese calendar is not a lunar calendar. It is a lunisolar calendar — a hybrid system that tracks both the moon’s phases (which determine the months) and the sun’s position (which determines the seasons through the 24 solar terms, or Jié Qì 节气). A leap month is inserted roughly every three years to keep the calendar aligned with the solar year. A purely lunar calendar, such as the Islamic Hijri calendar, drifts through the seasons over time — which is why Ramadan, for example, falls in a different season each decade. The Chinese calendar, by contrast, is specifically designed to stay anchored to the seasons. Calling its new year “Lunar” overlooks half of the system’s design.

The second reason is cultural clarity. This festival originated in China, with roots stretching back to at least the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE), where oracle bone inscriptions already recorded a lunisolar calendar system. The traditions associated with the celebration — the zodiac animals, the red decorations, the reunion dinner, the legend of Nian, the firecrackers — are Chinese cultural practices. While neighbouring countries adopted and adapted the Chinese calendar through centuries of trade and cultural exchange, each developed its own distinct celebration: Korea has Seollal (설날), Vietnam has Tết (Tết Nguyên Đán), and each carries unique customs, foods, and meanings. Calling all of these “Lunar New Year” doesn’t make the term more inclusive — it actually flattens the individuality of each tradition. Korean New Year deserves to be called Seollal. Vietnamese New Year deserves to be called Tết. And Chinese New Year deserves to be called Chinese New Year.

In December 2024, UNESCO reinforced this understanding by inscribing “Spring Festival — social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The designation explicitly acknowledges the festival’s Chinese cultural origin while recognising its broader global significance.

Since this site focuses on the Chinese zodiac and Chinese cultural traditions, “Chinese New Year” is both the accurate and respectful term. This is not a claim of ownership over the date itself — it is simply an acknowledgement that the traditions we discuss here are Chinese, and they deserve to be named as such.

The Legend of Nian

The origins of Chinese New Year’s most recognisable customs — the colour red, the deafening firecrackers, the blaze of lanterns — trace back to an ancient story about a creature called Nian (年).

Every year, as winter loosened its grip, a fearsome beast emerged to terrorise the villages — devouring livestock, destroying crops, and sending people fleeing into the mountains. For years, the villagers lived in dread. Then, one year, an elderly traveller arrived on the eve of the beast’s return. While everyone else prepared to flee, the old man asked only for shelter and a meal. In return, he promised he would deal with Nian.

When the creature descended that night, it found something unexpected: the old man’s door blazing with red paper, the courtyard lit with roaring flames, and an explosion of noise that split the air. Nian recoiled, terrified, and fled into the wilderness. It never returned.

The next morning, the villagers crept home to find the old man gone, but his lesson remained. Nian feared three things: the colour red, bright light, and loud noise. From that year onward, the people hung red decorations on their doors, lit fires and lanterns through the night, and set off firecrackers at midnight — not merely to frighten a monster, but to declare that cleverness and community would always triumph over fear.

The Chinese word for “year” — 年 (nián) — is the very same character as the beast’s name. The phrase 过年 (guò nián), meaning “to celebrate the new year,” literally translates as “to survive Nian.” Every Chinese New Year, whether people know the old story or not, they are re-enacting that first night of defiance — turning fear into festivity, darkness into light.

Why 2026 Is the Year of the Horse

The Chinese zodiac operates on a twelve-year cycle, with each year assigned to one of twelve animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. In 2026, the cycle arrives at the Horse — the seventh animal in the zodiac order.

According to the most widely told version of the zodiac origin story, the Jade Emperor held a great race to decide the order. The Horse — swift, powerful, and confident — charged through the course with characteristic speed, seemingly destined for a high placing. But just as the Horse neared the finish, the Snake — which had been quietly coiled around the Horse’s leg for most of the race — suddenly revealed itself. The shock caused the Horse to stumble, allowing the Snake to slip ahead into sixth place and pushing the Horse to seventh. The Horse simply shook off the surprise and kept going. That forward momentum, that refusal to dwell on setbacks, is the essence of what the Horse brings to any year it governs.

2026 is specifically a Fire Horse year (丙午, Bǐng Wǔ). Each zodiac year is also paired with one of five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water — creating a full sixty-year cycle. Fire amplifies the Horse’s natural qualities: warmth becomes passion, energy becomes intensity, and the love of freedom becomes a fierce, magnetic charisma. Fire Horse years are traditionally associated with dramatic change, bold leadership, and a collective willingness to take risks.

Curious about the Horse sign in depth? Explore the full Year of the Horse profile for personality, compatibility, career insights, and more.

Ben Ming Nian: A Word for Those Born in Horse Years

If you were born in a Horse year (1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, or 2026), then 2026 is your Ben Ming Nian (本命年) — your zodiac birth year. In Chinese tradition, your Ben Ming Nian is a year of heightened turbulence: you are said to be in conflict with Tai Sui (太岁), the God of Age, and the year may bring unexpected obstacles, reversals, and tests of character.

The traditional remedy is to wear red — red underwear, red socks, a red bracelet — throughout the year. Red is believed to ward off the negative energy of the Tai Sui clash and invite protective fortune. Many people receive these red items as gifts from parents or grandparents, as a gesture of care.

But Ben Ming Nian is not simply a year to endure. In Chinese philosophy, challenge and growth are inseparable. The obstacles of a zodiac birth year are understood as catalysts — pressure that forges resilience, clarity, and deeper self-understanding. Many people look back on their Ben Ming Nian as a turning point, the year that forced them to confront something they had been avoiding and emerge stronger for it.

For the full picture, read the Horse Horoscope 2026.

How Does the Year of the Horse Affect Your Sign?

Every zodiac sign experiences the Horse year differently. Some signs — like the Tiger, Dog, and Goat — share a natural affinity with the Horse, making 2026 a year of opportunity, support, and forward momentum. Others, like the Rat (which sits directly opposite the Horse in the zodiac, creating a Tai Sui clash), may find the year more demanding and should approach major decisions with extra care.

For the Horse itself, 2026 is a Ben Ming Nian — a year of intensity, challenge, and transformation. The remaining signs — Ox, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Monkey, Rooster, and Pig — each navigate the Horse’s energy in their own way. Follow the links to read your sign’s full 2026 forecast.

Preparing for Chinese New Year

The phrase Guo Nian (过年) — celebrating the new year — carries a warmth that is hard to translate. It conjures images of crowded kitchens, the rustle of red paper, and the particular joy of returning home.

In China, the weeks before Chinese New Year see the world’s largest annual human migration, known as Chun Yun (春运). Hundreds of millions of people travel by train, bus, car, and plane to reunite with their families, often crossing the entire country to do so.

Preparations begin in earnest in the final days of the old year. On the 28th day of the last month, families undertake a thorough house cleaning — sweeping out the dust of the old year to make way for fresh fortune. Red decorations go up everywhere: lanterns across doorways, paper cuttings on windows, Spring Festival couplets (春联, chūnlián) pasted beside the front door bearing poetic wishes for the year ahead. New clothes are bought — especially for children — because wearing something new on New Year’s Day symbolises a fresh start and an invitation for good luck.

Three Taboos to Keep in Mind

Chinese New Year comes with a handful of traditions about what not to do during the first few days. Whether you observe them strictly or simply find them charming, they are worth knowing.

Don’t sweep or clean until the fifth day. All that good fortune you have just invited in? Sweeping the floor or taking out the rubbish risks washing it straight back out the door.

Avoid scissors, knives, and sharp objects. Using anything sharp is believed to “cut” the flow of wealth entering your life. This is also why most barbers in China close for the holiday — getting a haircut during this period is thought to sever your connection to prosperity.

Don’t break ceramics or glass. A smashed bowl is believed to shatter your bond with good fortune. But if it happens, simply say Suì Suì Píng Ān (岁岁平安) — a clever wordplay where suì (碎, to break) sounds identical to suì (岁, years), transforming the mishap into a blessing: “peace and safety, year after year.”

The Reunion Dinner

At the heart of every Chinese New Year is the reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve — in 2026, that falls on 16 February. This is the most important meal of the year, the one that families travel thousands of kilometres to share.

The table is laden with dishes chosen not only for flavour but for meaning. Dumplings (饺子, jiǎozi), shaped to resemble ancient gold ingots, represent wealth. A whole fish (鱼, yú) is served because the word sounds identical to the word for surplus (余) — and some is deliberately left uneaten, carrying the symbolism of abundance into the new year. Long noodles signify longevity and are never cut. In the south, Nian Gao (年糕, sticky rice cake) is essential — its name contains the word for “rise” (高, gāo), symbolising rising fortunes and growth.

In the north, the rhythm of the evening centres on making and eating dumplings, often with a coin hidden inside one — whoever finds it is promised an especially lucky year. In the south, the table is more likely to feature Nian Gao alongside hot pot, steamed chicken, and braised pork. But everywhere, the meaning is the same: this is the night when the distance between family members collapses to zero.

New Year’s Day and Beyond

Days 1 & 2: Family Visits and Red Envelopes

The first and second days of Chinese New Year are reserved for visiting family and friends. People greet one another with phrases like Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái (恭喜发财, wishing you prosperity) and Guò Nián Hǎo (过年好, happy new year), and bring gifts — typically fruit, sweets, or tea — when visiting someone’s home.

The most beloved tradition of these visits is the exchange of Hong Bao (红包) — red envelopes containing money. Traditionally given by married adults to children and unmarried younger relatives, the red envelopes carry blessings for health, safety, and good fortune. The original spirit of the gesture was always about the goodwill behind it rather than the amount inside, though — as with many traditions — modern practice has shifted the emphasis somewhat toward the sum.

Day 3: Temple Visits

The third day, 19 February 2026, is traditionally a day for visiting temples. People make offerings, light incense, seek blessings from deities, and sometimes consult fortune-tellers about the year ahead. It is a quieter, more reflective pause within the festivities — a moment to look inward before the celebrations resume.

Day 5: Welcoming the God of Wealth

The fifth day is dedicated to Cai Shen (财神), the God of Wealth. Households hang images of Cai Shen and set off firecrackers at midnight to welcome prosperity. In a modern twist, many people now change their phone or computer wallpaper to an image of Cai Shen — a small, playful gesture that bridges centuries of tradition with everyday digital life.

Day 15: The Lantern Festival

The Chinese New Year celebrations reach their grand finale on the fifteenth day — 3 March 2026 — with the Lantern Festival (元宵节, Yuán Xiāo Jié). This night marks the first full moon of the new year, and cities across China and the world are illuminated with spectacular lantern displays.

The traditional food is Tang Yuan (汤圆) — sweet glutinous rice balls filled with sesame, red bean, or peanut paste, served in warm sugar water. Their round shape symbolises wholeness, reunion, and family togetherness. Streets fill with dragon dances, lion performances, and the charming tradition of lantern riddles — small puzzles written on paper and attached to lanterns for passers-by to solve. The Lantern Festival brings the Spring Festival to a warm, luminous close.

Chinese New Year Around the World

While Chinese New Year has its deepest roots in China, the festival’s warmth has spread across the globe. In Korea, Seollal is celebrated with ancestral rites, traditional dress, and rice cake soup. In Vietnam, Tết transforms homes with peach blossoms and square sticky rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves. Each celebration carries its own history, meaning, and beauty.

In Australia, Chinese New Year is one of the most vibrant events on the cultural calendar. Sydney’s celebrations — spanning Chinatown, Circular Quay, and the harbour — draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year with dragon boat races, lantern installations, and night markets. Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide all host their own festivities, reflecting the depth and diversity of the country’s Asian-Australian communities.

From the parade routes of San Francisco and New York to the lantern-lit streets of London, Chinese New Year has become a global occasion — a reminder that the values at its core are universal: the pull of family, the comfort of shared food, and the quiet hope that the year ahead will be kinder than the one before.

Explore the Chinese Zodiac

Discover your sign and find out what 2026 has in store:

Rat · Ox · Tiger · Rabbit · Dragon · Snake · Horse · Goat · Monkey · Rooster · Dog · Pig

Read your 2026 forecast: Rat · Ox · Tiger · Rabbit · Dragon · Snake · Horse · Goat · Monkey · Rooster · Dog · Pig