By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN
Grab your saddle and put on your riding boots — it’s time to stampede into the Year of the Horse. Lunar New Year, widely considered the most important event of the year in China and Chinese communities around the planet, is nearly here.
Marking the first new moon of the lunar calendar, it falls on February 17 in 2026, kicking off the 15-day Spring Festival. Celebrations vary depending on the country or region, but there are a few common traditions.
Whether you’re unfamiliar with the occasion or need a refresher, this guide to ushering in the Year of the Horse has you covered.
Why is it the Year of the Horse?
Incredibly complex, the Chinese zodiac calendar is best described as a 12-year cycle represented by 12 animals, in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
Your personal zodiac animal sign is determined by your year of birth, meaning 2026 will welcome plenty of baby Horses. Children born in the last lunar calendar year were Snakes, while those born on or after the Lunar New Year in 2027 will be Goats, and so on.
And every year, a heavenly stem (one of five elements, which fall into the yin or yang category) is paired with an earthly branch (one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals). This year, the heavenly stem is “Bing” (big sun) and the earthly branch is “Wu” (the Horse), making it the Year of the Fire Horse.
Followers believe that for each Chinese zodiac sign, luck will depend largely on the positions of the Tai Sui — a collective name for the stellar deities thought to rotate parallel to and in the opposite direction of Jupiter.
Geomancy masters may interpret the data differently, but there is usually a consensus on what the year means for each zodiac animal based on the positions of the stars.
For many followers, the Lunar New Year is an ideal time to visit a temple to make blessings depending on what the stars have to say about their particular zodiac sign for the coming months.
Why light firecrackers and wear red? Meet Nian
There are countless folktales attached to Lunar New Year, but the myth of Nian stands out as one of the most fun.
According to the legend, every Lunar New Year’s Eve this ferocious underwater beast with sharp teeth and horns would crawl onto the land and attack a nearby village.
On one such occasion, as the villagers rushed into hiding, a mysterious old man showed up and insisted on sticking around despite warnings of impending doom.
To the villagers’ surprise, the old man and the village survived utterly unscathed.
The man claimed to have scared Nian away by hanging red banners on his door, lighting firecrackers and donning red clothing.
This is why wearing the fiery color, along with hanging banners and lighting firecrackers or fireworks, are Lunar New Year traditions, all of which are still followed today.
The preparation
Like many major holidays, Lunar New Year can be a lot of work. Festivities often last for 15 days — sometimes even more — with different tasks and activities taking place over that period.
It all begins about a week ahead of the new year.
To kick things off, festive cakes and puddings are made on the 24th day of the last lunar month (February 11 in 2026). Why? The word for cakes and puddings is gao in Mandarin and gou in Cantonese, which sound the same as the word for “tall.”
That means eating these treats is believed to lead to improvements and growth in the coming year. (If you haven’t prepared your own “gou” yet, here’s