Business people of the Cantonese dialect group will hold a Hoi Nin prayer to start their business on the second day of the Chinese New Year, blessing their business to thrive in the coming year. Some people do not offer a Buddhist prayer due to the influence of Christianity, with a Christian prayer offered instead. Confucianists take the opportunity to remember their ancestors, and those who had lived before them are revered. Any haircuts need to be completed before the New Year, as cutting hair on New Year is considered bad luck due to the homonymic nature of the word “hair” (fa) and the word for “prosperity”. Some people give their homes, doors, and window-frames a new coat of red paint; decorators and paper-hangers experience a year-end rush of business before the Chinese New Year.
However, for signs like the Pig and Monkey, 2026 could pose some challenges. If you’re unsure of your zodiac sign, you can easily find it with an online zodiac calculator (or using the one below). Each zodiac sign has a unique relationship with the Year of the Horse. Though their zodiac year may bring challenges, these obstacles often lead to greater wisdom and personal growth for Horses. Red underwear, socks, or accessories are believed to ward off misfortune and invite blessings. In the zodiac, they thrive in lively settings and are often seen as natural leaders and motivators.

Year of the Snake: Fortune, Personality, Horoscope (

According to Chinese metaphysics consultant Vicki Iskandar, the Year of the Horse comes every 12 years and the last time “we had the Fire Horse as the ‘pillar’ of the year was in 1966”. The Chinese zodiac system combines a 12-year animal cycle with a 60-year elemental cycle created by pairing the five elements with yin and yang. The Vietnamese zodiac is slightly different, as it honours the cat instead of the rabbit and the buffalo instead of the ox. According to legend, as God prepared to depart from Earth, he invited all the animals to bid him farewell.

  • Chinese New Year is not just one day but over 30 days of festivities and activities, which have their own calendar.
  • The Lantern Festival, a traditional Chinese festival, marks the final day of the 15-day Spring Festival celebrations.
  • Signed into law in 2022 and effective in 2023, California declared the Lunar New Year a state government holiday.
  • When it comes to traditional Chinese foods, different food represents different things.
  • For New Year celebrations that follow Chinese-inspired calendars but are outside of China and the Chinese diaspora (such as Korea’s Seollal and Vietnam’s Tết), see the article on Lunar New Year.
  • In northern China, people traditionally eat dumplings and noodles, while in the south, Nian Gao (sticky rice cake) is a must-have, symbolizing rising fortunes.
  • In ancient China, there was a monster called “Nian”, which had long antennae on its head and was extremely fierce.

Public holiday

As described by Song dynasty official Zhang Tangying in his book Shu Tao Wu, Volume 2, on the day of New Year’s Eve the emperor ordered the scholar Xin Yinxun to write the couplets on peach wood and hang them on the emperor’s bedroom door. During the Tang dynasty, people established the custom of sending bai nian tie (拜年帖, “New Year’s greetings”), New Year’s greeting cards. It evolved into the practice of cleaning one’s house thoroughly in the days preceding the Chinese New Year. In the Lüshi Chunqiu, in the Qin state, an exorcism ritual to expel illness, called “Big Nuo”, Ringospin Casino was recorded as being carried out on the last day of the year. The 10th month celebration is believed to be one of the prototypes of Chinese New Year.The records of the first Chinese New Year celebration can be traced to the Warring States period (475 – 221 BC).
The clever Snake coiled around the Horse’s hoof, managing to finish the race ahead of the Horse and causing the Horse to fall into the seventh place. According to Chinese mythology, the order of the zodiac animals was decided by a Great Race held by the Jade Emperor. The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by a different animal. This story explains two important traditions—hanging red decorations and lighting firecrackers—representing victory over evil and a fresh start to the year.
The main parade, which sees over 100,000 spectators and involves more than 3,500 performers, is a notable highlight of the celebrations. With one of the largest Chinese populations outside of Asia, Sydney also boasts the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside of Asia, annually attracting over 600,000 attendees to the festivities in Chinatown. The Dragon dance and the Southern Lion dance are customarily performed on that day. The main events typically take place in the Chinatown area in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius. During the week before New Year’s Day, spring cleaning in homes is performed.
Early in the morning of the first day of the lunar new year, people also have to visit and greet each other with family and friends. However, in the folk traditional sense, Chinese New Year starts from the Kitchen God Worshiping on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month (or even the Laba Festival), until the 19th of the first lunar month. Modern people set the Spring Festival on the first day of the first lunar month, ending on the 15th day of the first lunar month (Lantern Festival), with New Year’s Eve and the first day of the first lunar month as the climax. On this day, people from all over China will immerse themselves in a strong festive atmosphere, with every household decorating red and full of joy.

Preparing for the Lunar New Year

On Chinese New Year day, it is customary for Sino-Mauritians to share niangao with their relatives and friends and to light firecrackers to ward off evil spirits. While the family dinner was traditionally celebrated at the house of the oldest family members, going to restaurants for New Year’s Eve is getting more popular; some restaurants may have special dinners to foster the family reunions of Sino-Mauritians. Mauritius is also the only country in Africa that lists the Chinese Spring Festival as a statutory public holiday. During the festival, the Chinese embassy in Islamabad arranges various cultural events in which Pakistani arts and cultural organizations and members of the civil society also participate. Observed by Thai Chinese and parts of the private sector, the festivities occur over three days, starting on the day before Chinese New Year’s Eve.
Chinese New Year festivities occur throughout Thailand, especially in provinces where many people of Chinese descent live, such as Nakhon Sawan, Suphan Buri, and Phuket. Hokkien households celebrate the Jade Emperor’s birthday, known colloquially as the “Hokkien New Year”, on the ninth day, with offerings. Penang’s Chief Minister customarily hosts an “open house” for the public, while various other events take place across the city, including at the Chinese clan houses and the Snake Temple. However, transportation in eastern Taiwan and between Taiwan and its outlying islands is less convenient.

Dates in the Chinese lunisolar calendar

Nowadays, some people even change their phone or computer wallpaper to a picture of Cai Shen for a modern twist on this tradition. On the 28th day of the last lunar month, families do a thorough house cleaning to sweep away any lingering bad luck, making way for a fresh beginning. It’s believed that arguments are more likely to happen on this day, so some people will avoid social interactions and visit temples to make offerings to offset any potential bad luck. Some believers won’t even sweep or take out the trash for the first five days of the new year, fearing they will wash away all that fresh good luck.
Using the broom, swearing, and breaking any dinnerware without appeasing the deities are also considered taboo. Typical actions such as lighting fires and using knives are considered taboo; thus, all consumable food has to be cooked beforehand. It is a traditional practice to light fireworks, burn bamboo sticks and firecrackers, and perform a lion dance to ward off evil spirits.
Chinese New Year, annual 15-day festival in China and Chinese communities around the world that begins with the new moon occurring sometime between January 21 and February 20, according to Western calendars. In Paris, since the 1980s, month-long celebrations have been held in several districts with many performances. Signed into law in 2022 and effective in 2023, California declared the Lunar New Year a state government holiday.
The celebration attracts between 300,000 and 500,000 people yearly, according to the organisers. In London, celebrations take place in Chinatown, Leicester Square, and Trafalgar Square. Many people also celebrate by going to temples across Southern California, and the largest temple celebration is held at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights. Starting in 2014, there are also larger celebrations at the Orange County Fair and Events Center in Costa Mesa, which attract over 50,000 visitors.
One of the key celebrations is the Chinese New Year parade with floats and fireworks taking place along the streets in Chinatown, Manhattan, the largest Chinese New Year parade outside Asia. However, even smaller cities that are historically connected with Chinese immigration, such as Butte, Montana, have recently hosted parades. The common activities are the lion dance, dragon dance, New Year market, and food festival. The festival in Sydney is organized in partnership with a different Chinese province each year. The festival also attracts international media coverage, reaching millions of viewers in Asia.
In 1928, the ruling Kuomintang party decreed that Chinese New Year would fall on 1 January of the Gregorian calendar, but this was abandoned due to overwhelming opposition. In the chapter, “Ending of a Year” (歲除) in Wulin jiushi (武林舊事), concubines of the emperor prepared a hundred and twenty coins for princes and princesses to wish them longevity. It was also during the Song dynasty that people started to give money to children in celebration of a new year. Both bao zhu (爆竹) and bian pao (鞭炮) are still used today to celebrate the Chinese New Year and other festive occasions.

All you need to know about the Chinese Year of the Dragon

Some companies and public institutions enjoy a longer holiday up to 10 days or more, because in common knowledge among Chinese people, the festival lasts longer, from the Lunar New Year’s Eve to the 15th day of the first lunar month (Lantern Festival). The legal holiday is seven days long, from the Lunar New Year’s Eve to the sixth day of the first lunar month. One is that you shouldn’t clean at the start of the holiday, as it is believed you could remove any fortune or luck that you have at home from the new lunar cycle. On the first day of the first lunar month, people wear new clothes, symbolizing the departure of the old and the arrival of the new, the removal of bad luck, and the blessing of good health and good fortune for the coming year.

  • 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.
  • The connection between zodiac animals and Earthly Branches reflects the ancient Chinese understanding of natural order.
  • Neighboring Alhambra has also hosted a large festival since 1993 with many performances and street vendors.
  • According to the traditional legend of The Great Race, it was the Jade Emperor who organised a race which saw the 12 species take part.
  • But often at the heart of the events, you’ll spot a dragon and a lion.
  • Since the dragon is a Chinese symbol of good fortune, a dragon dance highlights festival celebrations in many areas.

According to legend, due to arrogance and misbehaviour, the horse’s wings were cut off and it was banished beneath Mount Kunlun. One popular narrative tells of the celestial horse, originally the Jade Emperor’s imperial steed. Beyond cosmological explanations, rich folk legends also recount the origin of the zodiac animals.

This is also considered a propitious day to visit the temple of the God of Wealth and have one’s future told. Hakka villagers in rural Hong Kong in the 1960s called it the Day of the Poor Devil and believed everyone should stay at home. As this day is believed to be The Birthday of Che Kung, a deity worshipped in Hong Kong, worshippers go to Che Kung Temples to pray for his blessing.
However, this was not the Mid-Autumn Festival, during which the Chinese gathered with family to worship the Moon. The Chinese calendar defines the lunisolar month containing the winter solstice as the eleventh month, meaning that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely the third, if an intercalary month occursb). Traditionally, every family would thoroughly clean their house, symbolically sweeping away any ill fortune to make way for incoming good luck. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture and was placed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2024.
On the sixth day, known as Horse’s Day, people drive away the Ghost of Poverty by discarding the garbage accumulated during the festival. In other regions with a longer Chinese New Year holiday, celebrations include welcoming back the gods who were previously sent off on this day. In communities that celebrate Chinese New Year for 15 days, the fourth day marks the beginning of corporate “spring dinners” and the return to normal business operations.