Chinese New Year Wikipedia

A big family reunion dinner is usually held on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on February 16 this year. On a related note, many say you shouldn’t wash or cut your hair on the first day of the new year either. The aim is to rid your home of any bad luck that’s accumulated over the past year.
In the Classic of Poetry, a poem written during the Western Zhou period (1046 BC – 771 BC) by an anonymous farmer, described the traditions of celebrating the 10th month of the ancient solar calendar, which was in autumn. An older man appeared before the villagers went into hiding and said that he would stay the night and would get revenge on the Nian. In more than 96 percent of years, the Chinese New Year is the closest new moon to the beginning of spring (lichun) according to the calendar. However, “Chinese New Year” is still a commonly used translation for people of non-Chinese backgrounds. Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar.
Before the Meiji period, the date of the Japanese New Year had been based on Japanese versions of lunisolar calendar (the last of which was the Tenpō calendar) and, before, Jōkyō calendar, the Chinese version. Since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been celebrated according to the Ringospin Casino Gregorian calendar, on 1 January of each year, New Year’s Day (元日, Ganjitsu). The Japanese New Year (正月, Shōgatsu) is an annual festival that takes place in Japan.

New Year’s Day: Family Visits

As such, the Year of the Horse often becomes a point of dialogue in cross-cultural exchange, illustrating how shared archetypes transcend geographic boundaries. In Greek mythology, Pegasus represents divine inspiration and freedom, while throughout European history the horse has symbolised power, nobility, and movement. Countries shaped by Confucian and East Asian cultural traditions, including South Korea and Vietnam, also observe the lunar New Year cycle. In traditional belief, individuals born in the Year of the Horse are often described as cheerful, energetic, independent, and proactive. Similarly, expressions such as “dragon-horse spirit” evoke boundless vitality, while idioms like “sky-horse soaring across the heavens” metaphorically describe bold imagination and unrestrained aspiration.

A 2026 guide to Lunar New Year as we gallop into the Year of the Horse

The beast is said to have terrorised people every year, until he was defeated due to his fear of red, loud noises and fire. Primarily in traditional Chinese culture, the colour red originates from the myth of a monster called Nian. This is why many people clean their homes before the celebrations, as many clean to remove any misfortune or bad luck lingering ahead of the new year. The 15-day festival is about saying goodbye to the past year and, like the season of spring itself, symbolises renewal. This is because it marks the beginning of the spring season and the end of winter in the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. While celebrations and traditions take place annually, the exact date of the Lunar New Year changes every year as it begins with the arrival of a new moon, which signifies the start of a new month.
Their son was very sleepy, however, so they let him go to sleep after placing a red paper bag containing the copper coins under the child’s pillow. Red envelopes are then kept under the pillow and slept on for seven nights after the Chinese New Year, before opening, because that symbolizes good luck and fortune. Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred.

Why Is 2026 the Year of the Horse?

Because it marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year and coincides with the return of spring and the revival of all things, people name it “Spring Festival”. The name “Spring Festival” literally means a festival celebrating the arrival of spring. As one of the most important and distinctive traditional Chinese folk festivals, Chinese New Year carries rich cultural connotations and profound national emotions. Although Vietnam replaces the Rabbit with the Cat in its zodiac sequence, the Year of the Horse remains consistent across these cultures, underscoring shared cosmological heritage. These practices reflect the enduring symbolic association between the horse and swift achievement. The horse, delayed by helping others along the way, finished seventh – reinforcing cultural values of loyalty and benevolence.
Therefore, on New Year’s Eve, people fled to the deep mountains to avoid the harm of the Nian monster. In ancient China, there was a monster called “Nian”, which had long antennae on its head and was extremely fierce. The Spring Festival of 2026 will arrive on February 17th of the Gregorian calendar. The Spring Festival falls on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, marking the beginning of a new year. It originated from the ritual activities of praying for good years at the beginning of each lunar year during the ancient Shang Dynasty period.
The elders usually hope their kids will be healthy, happy and make progress in the coming year, so they will give red envelopes to them to pass blessings and good luck. Because in Chinese culture, red is the symbol of auspiciousness, joy and prosperity and it can drive out evil spirits and bring good lucks. There are too many people on the way, so the transportation department needs to make every effort to ensure that passengers can go home and come back safely. The reason is that China has a large population, and Chinese New Year is a traditional reunion festival. The festival food in south China is called Yuan Xiao or rice sweet dumpling. Eating rice cake during the Spring Festival symbolizes good luck, sweet life, and high prosperity every year.

Brooms and dust pans are put away on the first day so that the newly arrived good luck cannot be swept away.
As mentioned, the Lunar New Year is also called the Spring Festival in China and marks the beginning of the spring season.
Celebrated by millions around the world, this is a time for cultural traditions, family reunions, and hopes for good fortune in the coming year.
Chinese New Year’s Eve is typically a half-day holiday in Malaysia, while Chinese New Year is a two-day public holiday.
Other traditional foods consist of noodles, fruits, dumplings, spring rolls, and Tangyuan, which are also known as sweet rice balls.
Each country has its own traditions, but the core values remain the same—family, food, and hopes for a prosperous year ahead.

From RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland in 2021, everything you need to know about the Chinese New Year The zodiac system is deeply rooted in Chinese cosmology and reflects a sophisticated understanding of astronomy, philosophy, and the rhythms of nature. Discover the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, their personality traits, and compatibility. Each country has its own traditions, but the core values remain the same—family, food, and hopes for a prosperous year ahead.

In 1967, during the Cultural Revolution, official Chinese New Year celebrations were banned in China.
When visiting, it’s customary to bring gifts, such as fruits or beverages, and exchange greetings like Gong Xi Fa Cai (wishing you prosperity) and Guo Nian Hao (happy new year).
The seventh day, traditionally known as Renri (the common person’s birthday), is the day when everyone grows one year older.
Festivities often last for 15 days — sometimes even more — with different tasks and activities taking place over that period.
Countries shaped by Confucian and East Asian cultural traditions, including South Korea and Vietnam, also observe the lunar New Year cycle.
It is also recorded that people linked the firecrackers with hemp rope and created the bian pao (鞭炮, “gunpowder whip”) in the Song dynasty.
For example, in 2013, New Year’s Eve (9 February) fell on a Saturday and New Year’s Day (10 February) on a Sunday.

Concluding on the Lantern Festival (元宵节)

Another family dinner is held to celebrate the eve of the birth of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven. For many Chinese Buddhists, this is another day to avoid meat, as the seventh day commemorates the birth of Sakra, lord of the Devas in Buddhist cosmology, who is analogous to the Jade Emperor. In China, it is also common that on the 5th day people will shoot off firecrackers to get Guan Yu’s attention, thus ensuring his favour and good fortune for the new year.

Chinese New Year Calendar (1930 –

Due to the incomplete correspondence between the lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar, the Gregorian date of the Spring Festival (the first day of the first lunar month) varies every year, ranging from January 21 to February 20. Taiwanese Guonian differs from the Chinese Spring Festival in several cultural practices, traditions, and customs, despite both celebrations being based on the traditional Chinese calendar. The festival is also called “Lunar New Year” in English, despite the traditional Chinese calendar being lunisolar and not lunar.

Although the Spring Festival is scheduled on the first day of the first lunar month, the activities during Chinese New Year are not limited to just that day. Nowadays, the Spring Festival is seen more as a crucial moment for family reunion and cultural inheritance. Chinese New Year (also called Spring Festival or Lunar New Year) is the most popular holiday in China and Chinese communities around the world. According to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, years were historically designated through a combination of the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches.
Brooms and dust pans are put away on the first day so that the newly arrived good luck cannot be swept away. It is believed that the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and prepares homes for good luck. On the days immediately before the new year celebration, Chinese families give their homes a thorough cleaning. The porridge was prepared by the women of the household at first light, with the first bowl offered to the family’s ancestors and the household deities.
However, in 1873, five years after the Meiji Restoration, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar, and the first day of January became the official and cultural New Year’s Day in Japan. During the New Year holidays, stage bosses gather the most popular actors from various troupes and let them perform repertories from the Qing dynasty. In 2017, it was estimated that over 100 billion of these virtual red envelopes would be sent over the New Year holiday. Many families in China still follow the tradition of eating only vegetarian food on the first day of the new year, as it is believed that doing so will bring good luck into their lives for the whole year. Legends hold that the Hokkien were spared from a massacre by Japanese pirates by hiding in a sugarcane plantation, between the eighth and ninth days of the Chinese New Year, coinciding with the Jade Emperor’s birthday. The seventh day, traditionally known as Renri (the common person’s birthday), is the day when everyone grows one year older.
In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year occurs on the new moon that falls between 21 January and 20 February. Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines celebrate it as an official festival. Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red envelopes. Windows and doors may be decorated with red paper-cuts and couplets representing themes such as good fortune, happiness, wealth, and longevity.
(If you haven’t prepared your own “gou” yet, here’s an easy recipe for radish cake, a beloved Lunar New Year dish.) That means eating these treats is believed to lead to improvements and growth in the coming year. 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 man claimed to have scared Nian away by hanging red banners on his door, lighting firecrackers and donning red clothing. 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.