What is Lunar New Year?
Lunar New Year, known in China as Spring Festival (chunjie 春節) and often called Chinese New Year, marks the beginning of the new year in the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. While it originated in China, the festival is also celebrated in several East and Southeast Asian countries, including in Vietnam and Korea, as well as in communities around the world. It is a time for renewal, family gatherings and looking ahead with hope.
“For many families, Spring Festival is the most significant celebration of the year, a time for reunion, reflection and renewal,” says Professor Xiaohuan Zhao, from the School of Languages and Cultures in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
In 2026, Lunar New Year begins on 17 February, ushering in the Year of the Horse. The festival involves cleaning homes to sweep away misfortune, decorating with red lanterns and spring couplets (chunlian 春聯, Chinese calligraphy on red paper), giving red envelopes (hongbao 紅包) filled with money, and gathering for a family reunion dinner (tuanyuan fan 團圓飯 or nianye fan 年夜飯).
Beyond festivities, the Lunar New Year period is devoted to honouring ancestors, and reconnecting with friends and relatives.
Year of the Horse-themed paper-cutting works in Lanzhou City, northwest China's Gansu Province, February, 2026. Photo: Imaginechina/Sipa USA/AAP Image
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LinkWhy is Lunar New Year in 2026 later than usual?
The unusually late arrival of Lunar New Year in 2026 is due to a leap month (runyue 閏月) in the Chinese lunisolar calendar. In 2025, an extra intercalary month (run liuyue 閏六月) means the 12th lunar month is shorter. This shifts the 2026 Spring festival into mid-February, significantly later than in most years.
What does the Horse mean in Chinese culture?
In Chinese culture, the horse symbolises strength, perseverance, and aspiration. The legendary dragon-horse (longma 龍馬) is associated with the force of Heaven and the pursuit of self-improvement, while the expression ‘dragon-horse spirit’ (longma jingshen 龍馬精神) conveys resilience, energy and determination.
In Chinese culture, horses symbolises strength, perseverance and aspiration. Photo: AdobeStock
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LinkHistorically, idioms such as ‘an old horse knows the way’ (laoma shitu 老馬識途, experience and wisdom) and ‘a thousand-li horse’ (qianlima 千里馬, exceptional people with great potential) reflect the horse’s role in daily life and society.
Common blessings such as ‘may the horse immediately bring you success’ (madao chenggong 馬到成功) demonstrate how the horse became a metaphor for progress, success and good luck.
How the Chinese Zodiac works
The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle, each year represented by an animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each year also corresponds to one of five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, or earth.
Combining the 12 animals with the five elements forms a 60-year cycle. The Heavenly Stem (tiangan 天干) for 2026 is bing 丙 (Fire), and the Earthly Branch (dizhi 地支) is wu 午 (Horse), making 2026 a bing-wu 丙午 year, also called the Year of the Fire Horse (huoma 火馬) or the Red Horse (hongma 紅馬).
2026: a rare Fire Horse year
The Year of the Horse comes around every 12 years (e.g., 2014, 2026, 2038), but not every Horse year is a ‘Fire Horse year’. That only occurs every 60 years.
The ‘Fire’ element is determined by the Heavenly Stems bing and ding 丁. Only when the Heavenly Stem is bing or ding does it correspond to the Fire element in the Five Phases (wuxing 五行). Within the 60-year cycle, only specific pairings, such as bing-wu, form a ‘Fire + Horse’ combination, and bing-wu appears only once every 60 years.
For example, the last bing-wu Fire Horse year was 1966, the current one is 2026, and the next one will be 2086.
Horse-themed cultural artifacts at a museum in Xiangyang City, central China. Photo: Imaginechina/Sipa US/AAP Image
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LinkPersonality traits
In traditional Chinese zodiac interpretations, people born in the Year of the Horse are often described as energetic, confident, creative and adventurous. They value freedom and dislike being constrained, often speaking in a direct, straightforward way. They enjoy new experiences and are often the centre of social gatherings. In work, they are capable, action-oriented and efficient.
In relationships, Horse individuals thrive when they balance independence with trust and respect. They are most compatible with those born in the Year of the Tiger or Dog, who can offer shared enthusiasm and loyalty.
Years of the Horse: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026.
Lucky Colours
LUCKY: Green, blue, pink, purple, with small accents of red (balance Fire energy and support prosperity). These cooler colours are thought to balance the strong fire energy of the year, helping to calm the atmosphere and stabilise the flow of wealth.
Beijing: Soft-coloured lanterns illuminate historic Qianmen Street for Year of the Horse. Photo: Imaginechina/Sipa USA/AAP Image
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LinkAVOID: While red is traditionally auspicious, some interpretations suggest limiting very bright reds in a Fire Horse year (bright orange-red). These colours excessively activate in a Fire Horse year – adding fuel to the fire, potentially manifesting as impulsive expenditure, irritability or even financial loss. However, red remains an auspicious colour in Chinese cultural practice; when used in moderation it can harmonise with the year’s Fire element and support career advancement and significant financial gains.
Celebrate Lunar New Year on campus
At the University of Sydney you can celebrate the Lunar New Year by taking a tour of the Chau Chak Wing Museum, including the current exhibition ‘Infinite Scroll’ which features works by contemporary Chinese artists. Book now for a Cantonese or Mandarin museum tour.
Students and alumni are invited to attend Year of the Horse celebrations at Hermann’s Bar, the Courtyard, and the International Student Lounge on 17 February from 4pm. Celebrations will include food and drink, a traditional dragon dance and other performances, as well as paper lantern making and calligraphy. Register for the Year of the Horse event on the Welcome Planner.
Dr Xiaohuan Zhao is Professor of Sinology (Religion, Literature and Theatre) at the School of Languages and Cultures. He is also a member of the China Studies Centre and the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre.
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