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.
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.

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In June 2015, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared that the Lunar New Year would be made a public school holiday, and in September 2023, New York State made Lunar New Year a mandatory public school holiday. Meanwhile, Wellington hosts a two-day weekend festival for Chinese New Year, and a one-day festival is held in Dunedin, centred on the city’s Chinese gardens. For 2021 (for one year only), the government declared the Chinese New Year a government holiday. Through a presidential decree it was officially declared as a one-day public holiday as of 9 April 2002 by President Megawati. It was celebrated as one of the official national religious holidays by Chinese Indonesians from 18 June 1946 to 1 January 1953 through a government regulation signed by President Sukarno on 18 June 1946.
Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. These packets contain money in an amount that reflects good luck and honorability. Red envelopes may be distributed during the reunion dinner to the immediate family. Certain Chinese characters can represent luck as well, such as the Chinese word for tangerine (桔 jú), which contains the Chinese character for luck (吉 jí). The Chinese word for pomelos (柚 yòu) sounds similar to ‘to have’ (有 yǒu); disregarding its tone, however, it sounds exactly like ‘again’ (又 yòu). The pronunciations of these Chinese words are said to harbor luck and prosperity, such as the Chinese pronunciation for orange (橙 chéng), which sounds the same as the Chinese for ‘success’ (成).

What is the meaning behind giving red envelopes (hongbao)?

The wearing of new clothes is another clothing custom during the festival; the new clothes symbolize a new beginning. The burning of firecrackers also signifies a joyful time of year and has become an integral aspect of Chinese New Year celebrations. Once ignited, the firecracker lets out a loud popping noise and, as they are usually strung together by the hundreds, the firecrackers are known for their deafening explosions that are thought to scare away evil spirits. Each firecracker is rolled up in red paper, as red is auspicious, with gunpowder in its core.
As one of the twelve traditional zodiac animals in Chinese culture, the Horse corresponds to the Earthly Branch ‘Wu’ and appears in a twelve-year cyclical pattern within the traditional calendar system. The first and second days of the Lunar New Year are reserved for visiting family and friends. For those born in a Horse year, 2026 is their Ben Ming Nian—a year traditionally believed to bring bad luck due to a clash with Tai Sui, the God of Age. Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, marks the start of a new zodiac cycle based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Nowadays, cities worldwide still put on massive lantern displays and fairs on the festival’s final day.

• ‘Spring Festival’ is the standard and official term; people in Taiwan typically do not use “Spring Festival” in daily conversations.
• Every year, certain Chinese zodiac signs clash with the stars negatively, so temple visits are considered a good way to resolve those conflicts and bring peace in the coming months.
• These practices reflect the enduring symbolic association between the horse and swift achievement.
• The phrase Guo Nian, meaning “celebrating the new year” in Chinese, evokes warm feelings of family reunions.
• Pickles such as Laba garlic, which turns green from vinegar, are made on this day.
• As an official public holiday, Chinese people can get nine days’ off from work, from February 4th to February 12.

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.

The folklore, food and rituals of the Chinese New Year

The Lunar New Year begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar cycle and ends 15 days later with the first full moon. Falling on the 15th day of the first month in the lunar calendar, this year in 2026, it falls on 3 March. The Lantern Festival, a traditional Chinese festival, marks the final day of the 15-day Spring Festival celebrations. Celebrated across the world, Ringospin Casino particularly throughout East Asia and China, the Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in the calendar. During Chinese New Year, people will set off firecrackers on New Year’s Eve and the first day of the first lunar month. From the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month at year end, people start to be busy with the Lunar New Year, and all activities have a common theme – bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.

interesting facts about Lunar New Year that you may not know

Suddenly, the doors and windows were blown open by a strange wind, and even the candlelight was extinguished. The fever would eventually cause the child to have intellectual disabilities. In the mid-2010s, Chinese messaging apps such as WeChat popularized the distribution of red envelopes in a virtual format via mobile payments, usually within group chats.
At the heart of Lunar New Year celebrations is the reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on February 16th, 2026. Red is the dominant color for decorations, which include red lanterns, paper cuttings, Spring Festival couplets, and strings of chili peppers. The phrase Guo Nian, meaning “celebrating the new year” in Chinese, evokes warm feelings of family reunions.

The Chinese lunar calendar operates on a 12-year zodiac cycle, with each year represented by an animal. Crisp, golden spring rolls mirror ancient gold bars, symbolizing wealth, and bright citrus fruits such as oranges and tangerines are shared because their round shape and color evoke fullness, success, and good luck. Sticky rice cakes called nian gao are commonly consumed, because their name means “high year,” implying steady progress and success in whatever one pursues. The last event held during the Chinese New Year is called the Lantern Festival, during which people hang glowing lanterns in temples or carry them during a nighttime parade. The holiday is sometimes called the Lunar New Year because the dates of celebration follow the phases of the moon.
In Taiwan, spring travel is a significant event known as the Spring Festival travel rush. In Taiwan, businesses traditionally reopen on the sixth day of the Chinese New Year, accompanied by firecrackers. During this time, many Koreans would visit their family, perform ancestral rites, wear the hanbok (한복; 韓服) / Chosŏn-ot (조선옷; 朝鮮옷), eat traditional food, and play traditional folk games. This 40-day period is called chunyun, and is known as the world’s largest annual migration. Owing to a large number of interprovincial travellers, special arrangements are made by railways, buses, and airlines starting from fifteen days before the New Year’s Day. In general, except for those in lucky colours like red and yellow, chrysanthemums should not be displayed at home during the New Year, because they are normally used for ancestral veneration.
The fifth day of the new year is dedicated to welcoming Cai Shen, the God of Wealth. 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). In the past, the gesture behind the red pockets was more important than the amount of money inside. A key part of this tradition is the exchange of Hong Bao (red envelopes), which carry good wishes.
Reunion dinners (particularly in the Southern regions) may prominently feature specialty meats (e.g. wax-cured meats such as duck and Chinese sausage) and seafood (e.g. lobster and abalone) that are usually reserved for special occasions. The New Year’s Eve dinner is very large and sumptuous and traditionally includes dishes of meat (namely, pork and chicken) and fish. The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family. A reunion dinner is held on New Year’s Eve, during which family members gather for a celebration. In China and Malaysia, this day is celebrated by individuals seeking a romantic partner, akin to Valentine’s Day. In some overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore, it is also the day when tossed raw fish salad, yusheng, is eaten for continued wealth and prosperity.

• But you may have noticed that it doesn’t occur on this exact date every year.
• Breaking objects is considered a bad omen and is thought to bring bad luck.
• Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred.
• In the mid-2010s, Chinese messaging apps such as WeChat popularized the distribution of red envelopes in a virtual format via mobile payments, usually within group chats.
• It marks the departure of winter and the beginning of the spring season.
• The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family.

In the South, it is customary to make a glutinous new year cake (niangao) and send pieces of it as gifts to relatives and friends in the coming days. For those who practice Buddhism, the Laba holiday is also considered Bodhi Day. 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.
And this time of year, families can be seen enjoying the likes of fish, which represents fortune, as well as dumplings that symbolise wealth and glutinous rice balls, marking family reunion. When it comes to traditional Chinese foods, different food represents different things. There are so many dishes famous and loved around the world and when it comes to Lunar New Year, a number of them are at the centre of the celebrations. Throughout the celebrations, families and loved ones reunite to partake in traditions and share wishes of health and prosperity for the upcoming year. The animals and performances are believed to bring good fortune.
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.
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.
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.