Q&A: What is Lunar New Year?

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The new moon on Feb. 17 marks the start of the Lunar New Year, a celebration originating in China that today is celebrated around the world. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2026 is the year of the Fire Horse, symbolizing energy and passion.

Xiaoye You, Liberal Arts Professor of English and Asian Studies at Penn State who has celebrated the Lunar New Year since childhood, explained in the following Q&A what the Lunar New Year is, how some people celebrate and why it may be lucky to wear the color red for the rest of February.

Q: What is Lunar New Year?

You: Lunar New Year is the arrival of the new year based on the Chinese lunar calendar. The lunar calendar was established about 3,000 years ago in the Shang Dynasty, and then about 2,100 years ago the Han Dynasty institutionalized it. The lunar calendar is based on the movements of the heavenly bodies, especially the moon. Most years have 12 months, but for every 19-year period, there are seven years that have 13 months. Every month starts right after the new moon, and then we see the full moon and then the phases come back to not actually seeing the moon for a day or two. That‘s what constitutes a lunar month.

Q: What does a Lunar New Year celebration look like?

You: The celebration really comes down to the central idea about saying farewell to the past or to the old and welcoming the new. Fifteen days before the arrival of the new year, people do a series of events to get themselves ready, including preparing foods like puffed rice cakes, different kinds of meat and other dishes for the coming of the year.

Five or six days before the arrival of the new year, they usually start to clean their house. I remember, when I was a child, helping my parents clean the house, including cleaning the windows, doors, chairs and tables and mopping the floor. At the same time, people start thinking about not just cleaning the house but also cleaning themselves. So, for instance, they will find a nice day to cut their hair.

Also, people will go to the market to purchase items for the new year. They might purchase couplets — scrolls or banners with phrases for the new year written in calligraphy — and put them on the two sides of their door.

Q: How do individuals celebrate New Year’s Eve?

You: On New Year’s Eve, people will get together to have a huge banquet with family members who might have traveled from hundreds or thousands of miles away, very much like Christmas in the United States. Over the last four decades, a new tradition has developed — families will sit down and watch a gala show organized by the China Central Television station, and that usually runs from 8:00 p.m. all the way to midnight. Then they will celebrate with fireworks and firecrackers. It gets very noisy. On New Year’s Day, people tend to take a rest. The following day, they will go to their ancestors’ tombs to clean the tombs and present sacrifice.

After that, they will start to visit friends in the neighborhood and share a meal. They may drink wine or have traditional foods — it varies across ethnic groups. In China, there are 56 ethnic groups, or nationalities. Ethnic groups may celebrate the new year in quite different ways. I can only talk about the Han, which is the majority of the Chinese population. So, people will have all kinds of celebrations and events for 15 days after the arrival of the new year. And then on the last day, they celebrate Lantern Festival by hanging up lanterns and eating tangyuan, or sweat rice balls, all in the shape of sphere, meaning reunion. In some parks, there might be events like reading a poem written on lanterns and then guessing the poem’s meaning. Some places hold competitions or little games.

Q: Who celebrates Lunar New Year?

You: In China, I think most of the 56 nationalities celebrate Lunar New Year. But there’s also the Chinese diaspora — communities of individuals of Chinese descent in North America, Europe and other continents that recognize Lunar New Year. In Asia, countries like Vietnam and Korea also celebrate the arrival of the lunar new year.

Q: This year is the year of the Fire Horse. What is that?

You: The traditional Chinese way of counting the years is that every 60 years completes a cycle. Think of it like a chart with 12 numbers across, represented by the animals of the Chinese zodiac, and 10 numbers down represented by the elements wood, fire, earth, metal and water, which are repeated twice in each cycle. Each year matches an animal with an element, and they have different meanings.

In general, horse always means something positive, associated with striving forward and speed. And fire means energy. So, the Fire Horse is upbeat, hard-working and striving forward.

Q: Why is the color red important, and what’s the significance of the red envelopes?

You: Red has been historically associated with warmth. More broadly, red has been associated with good fortune and blessings. It has been used for very important moments, like when you get married, open a business, or celebrate the lunar new year.

We exchange red envelopes to wish each other blessings and good luck and to ward off bad energy. On New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, usually you receive an envelope from people senior than you, typically your parents and relatives. I continue to receive envelopes from my dad, and he is in his late 70s. Inside the envelope is lucky money, and typically you have to say something in return. It’s not just “thank you.” What you say in return depends on the region, the profession and even family tradition, but a common expression is “gōngxǐ fācái,” meaning, “I wish that you’ll make a big fortune in the new year.”