Lunar New Year 2026

Lunar New Year begins with the second new moon after the winter solstice in December. It lasts until the full moon arrives, spanning the first 15 days of the lunisolar calendar’s first month. This means the holiday falls between late January and early March on the Gregorian calendar.

This Lunar New Year starts on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, and ends on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. The holiday ushers in the year of the horse, according to the Chinese zodiac.

According to Chinese custom, each year in the lunisolar calendar is represented by one of 12 zodiac animals included in the cycle of 12 stations or “signs” along the apparent path of the sun through the cosmos. The 12 zodiac animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

In addition to the animals, the five elements of earth, water, fire, wood and metal are mapped onto the calendar. Each year is associated with an animal that corresponds to an element, with 2026 designated as the year of the fire horse. Chinese astrology dictates it will be a transformative year with the potential for innovation and chaos. The horse is a symbol of freedom, intelligence, power and enthusiasm.

Each culture celebrates the Lunar New Year differently with various foods and traditions that symbolize prosperity, abundance and togetherness. In preparation for the holiday, people thoroughly clean their houses to rid them of inauspicious spirits, which might have collected during the old year. Cleaning is also meant to open space for good will and good luck.

Some households hold rituals to offer food and paper icons to ancestors. Others post red paper and banners inscribed with calligraphy messages of good health and fortune in front of, and inside, homes. Elders give out red or sometimes white envelopes containing money to children. Foods made from glutinous rice, representation of togetherness, are commonly served. Other foods symbolize prosperity, abundance and good luck.

Chinese New Year is thought to date back to the Shang Dynasty in the 14th century B.C. Under Emperor Wu of Han (140–87 B.C.), the tradition of carrying out rituals on the first day of the Chinese calendar year began.

“This holiday has ancient roots in China as an agricultural society,” explained Yong Chen, a scholar in Asian American Studies, back in 2015. “It was the occasion to celebrate the harvest and worship the gods and ask for good harvests in times to come.”

During the Cultural Revolution in 1967, official Chinese New Year celebrations were banned in China. But Chinese leaders became more willing to accept the tradition over time. In 1996, China instituted a weeklong vacation during the holiday—now officially called Spring Festival—giving people the opportunity to travel home and to celebrate the new year. Today, the holiday prompts major travel as hundreds of millions hit the roads or take public transportation to return home to be with family.

Among Chinese cultures, fish is typically included as a last course of a New Year’s Eve meal for good luck. In the Chinese language, the pronunciation of “fish” is the same as that for the word “surplus” or “abundance.” Chinese New Year’s meals also feature foods like glutinous rice ball soup, moon-shaped rice cakes (New Year’s cake) and dumplings (Jiǎozi in Mandarin). Sometimes, a clean coin is tucked inside a dumpling for good luck.

The holiday concludes with the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the last day of New Year’s festivities. Parades, dances, games and fireworks mark the holiday’s finale.

In Vietnamese celebrations of the holiday, homes are decorated with kumquat trees and flowers such as peach blossoms, chrysanthemums, orchids and red gladiolas. As in China, travel is heavy during Tết as family members gather to mark the new year.

Families feast on five-fruit platters to honor their ancestors. Celebrations can also include bánh chưng, a rice cake made with mung beans, pork and other ingredients wrapped in bamboo leaves. Snacks called mứt tết are commonly offered to guests. These sweet bites are made from dried fruits or roasted seeds mixed with sugar.

In Korea, official Lunar New Year celebrations were halted from 1910 to 1945. This was when the Japanese empire annexed Korea and ruled it as a colony until the end of World War II. Celebrations of Seollal were officially revived in 1989, though many families had already begun observing the lunar holiday.

North Korea began celebrating the Lunar New Year according to the lunar calendar in 2003. Before then, New Year’s was officially only observed on January 1. North Koreans are encouraged to visit statues of founder Kim Il Sung, and his son Kim Jong Il during the holiday and provide an offering of flowers.

Among both North and South Koreans, sliced rice cake soup (tteokguk) is prepared to mark the Lunar New Year. The clear broth and white rice cakes of tteokguk are believed to symbolize starting the year with a clean mind and body. Rather than giving money in red envelopes, as in China and Vietnam, elders give New Year’s money in white and patterned envelopes.

Traditionally, families gather from all over Korea at the house of their oldest male relative to pay their respects to both ancestors and elders. Travel is less common in North Korea, and families tend to mark the holiday at home.

Cultures celebrating Lunar New Year have different ways of greeting each other during the holiday. In Mandarin, a common way to wish family and close friends a happy New Year is “Xīnnián hǎo,” meaning “New Year Goodness” or “Good New Year.” Another greeting is “Xīnnián kuàilè,” meaning “Happy New Year.”

Traditional greetings during Tết in Vietnam are “Chúc Mừng Năm Mới” (Happy New Year) and “Cung Chúc Tân Xuân” (gracious wishes of the new spring). For Seollal, South Koreans commonly say “Saehae bok mani badeuseyo” (May you receive lots of luck in the new year), while North Koreans say “Saehaereul chuckhahabnida” (Congratulations on the new year).

Editor’s Note: Huiying B. Chan, research and policy analyst on the Education Justice Research and Organizing Collaborative team at the New York University Metro Center, edited this report.