The sun sets on the Year of the Snake as the Lunar Year comes to an end, with a new dawn set to usher in the Year of the Horse.
Preparations for the Lunar New Year festivities, an international holiday observed throughout many Asian countries and celebrated across the United States, are underway as the 15-day festival is set to commence this week. Adherents welcome the new year with a variety of cultural traditions and rituals such as carnivals, parades, fireworks and ancestor remembrance.
U.S. cities with large Asian populations such as New York and Los Angeles have multiple events planned to welcome the new year. New York, for example, will host its annual Lunar New Year celebration featuring the captivating lion dance on March 1, while Los Angeles will host the 127th annual Golden Dragon Parade on Saturday, Feb. 21, in addition to other parties and gatherings.
Earlier in the month, the United States Postal Service also rolled out commemorative stamps to mark the festivities featuring a colorful three-dimensional mask depicting the face of a horse. The seventh stamp in USPS’ third Lunar New Year series is designed by Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS and artist Camille Chew, the postal service said in a Feb. 3 news release.
Here’s everything to know about the 2026 Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse.
The Lunar New Year in 2026 is scheduled to start on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and lasts until the Lantern Festival on March 3, the date of the next full moon.
The Lunar New Year marks the transition from one animal to another each year. The Year of the Snake, which began on Jan. 29, 2025, is set to end Feb. 16.
2026 will be the Year of the Horse, specifically the Fire Horse, symbolizing “energy, freedom, and forward momentum,” according to Asia Society Texas. The horse is also synonymous with strength, grace and determination, and this zodiac sign serves as a powerful symbol of perseverance, freedom and momentum for the upcoming lunar cycle.
The horse is traditionally regarded as an emblem of confidence and forward motion, suggesting a period defined by significant opportunity and success.
Unlike the Western Gregorian calendar, which has a predetermined number of days per year, the Lunar New Year follows a calendar based on the moon’s 12 phases. Each phase cycle spans approximately 29 days, with the full calendar being about 354 days long.
On the Gregorian calendar, Lunar New Year – which lasts from the first new moon to the next full moon – generally falls in late January or early February.
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Chinese New Year is also commonly called the Lunar New Year, considering many countries, and not just China, recognize the holiday.
Lunar New Year is celebrated in many Asian cultures, including in China, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
Each culture has its own name for the New Year. For instance, the Lunar New Year in China is called the Spring Festival, or chūnjié. South Korea refers to the Lunar New Year as Seollal. In Vietnam, the Lunar New Year is called Tết, which is short for Tết Nguyên Đán.
Celebrations vary from culture to culture, but typically, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, people visit the senior members of their extended family. According to the Smithsonian, the festival period is an important holiday for families, with people traveling back to their hometowns and elders preparing family meals.
One of the most recognizable celebrations is lion dance troupes, a dramatic tradition meant to usher in the year and expel evil spirits.
Fireworks and firecrackers are also very popular, as is gift giving. In Hong Kong for example, married family members give red packets containing cash to children and teenagers, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich in London.
The fifteenth and final day of the holiday is the Lantern Festival, during which people have tangyuan, or sweet glutinous rice balls, and children carry lanterns around the neighborhood at night to mark the end of the celebration, according to the National Museum of Asian Art.
The Chinese Zodiac is represented by a repeating 12-year cycle of animal signs and their attributes, based on the lunar calendar.
Last year was represented by the snake, a symbol of wisdom, intuition and transformation. While people born in the year of the snake are seen as charismatic, intelligent, and artistic, they are also often considered cunning and mysterious.
Here’s the order of the Chinese Zodiac:
Contributing: Olivia Munson, Eric Lagatta, Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY; Dina Kaur, Arizona Republic
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.