Chinese New Year 2026: When is Spring Festival, Date, Holiday, Calendar, Zodiac Sign

Chinese New Year 2026 is also known as the Spring Festival. In Mandarin, it's called Guonian or Chunjie.

Chunjie 2026 starts on Tuesday, February 17th, and goes on until the Lantern Festival on March 3rd. During this holiday, they gather with their families and watch the wonderful Spring Festival Gala while enjoying a delicious reunion dinner.

A series of celebrations will continue until the 15th day of the lunar calendar, the Lantern Festival.

Chinese New Year Dates in 2026, 2027, 2028...

The date of the Spring Festival varies each year, with each new year corresponding to a specific zodiac animal. The zodiac animal for 2026 is the Horse, so that year is called the Year of the Horse.

Why Does the Chinese New Year Date Change Every Year

China uses the Solar calendar (Gregorian calendar) and the lunar calendar to count the days. In the lunar calendar, the Chinese New Year always falls on the first day of the first month; however, its date in the solar calendar changes annually.

To keep the Spring Festival's date in the solar calendar relatively stable, an extra month, called a leap month, is added to the lunar calendar every 2-3 years. When there is no leap month in the last lunar year, the Spring Festival of the next year will come about 11 days earlier. But if there is a leap month, Chunjie will be delayed by about 19 days. 

Chinese New Year 2026 Zodiac Sign: Horse

2026 is the Year of the Horse. It is the year of the Fire Horse. The horse symbolizes longevity, wisdom, and mystery in Chinese culture. Combining the horse and "fire" elements means 2026 will be a year of propensity and mystery.

People born in the Year of the Horse may seem impatient, but they are warm-hearted. When they meet new friends, they are a bit guarded. But once they get close to their friends, they will care for them a lot. They have plans and goals when doing things, and can achieve success step by step.

The Year of the Horse occurs every 12 years in the Chinese zodiac cycle. Other Snake years include 1954, 1966, 1990, 2002, and 2014. For those born in these years, 2026 is their Benmingnian. It is considered inauspicious, so people usually wear red underwear and socks to ward off evil spirits.

Chinese New Year Holiday 2026

Officially, the Chinese people will have a holiday for about 7 days from Chinese New Year's Eve to the sixth day of the lunar new year.

In 2026, the Chinese New Year holiday lasts from February 15th to February 23rd.

Some companies may extend the holiday up to 16 days.

During the Chinese New Year holiday, offices, factories, banks, and some non-service industry shops will temporarily close. However, many large shopping malls and town wet markets will be busier than usual.

Many people working away from home return to their hometowns to reunite with their families during the Spring Festival. As a result, highways and railway stations in China became crowded during this time. This phenomenon is called the Spring Festival travel rush or Chunyun.

Popular attractions and temples are always crowded. Usually, everything should get back to normal after the sixth day of the first lunar month.

Chinese New Year Lunar Calendar

Traditional Chinese festivals are based on the Lunar Calendar. The Spring Festival in 2026 will be on February 17th in the solar calendar. Its lunar calendar is on January 1st, and the Chinese typically call it Danianchuyi (大年初一).

Why Does the Chinese New Year Last 15 Days

Chinese culture highly values the idea of completeness and emphasizes that things should have a beginning and an end. The first full moon night after the New Year falls on the Lantern Festival.

A full moon symbolizes reunion and perfection. So this festival is used as the end of Chunjie. From the first day of the lunar New Year to the Lantern Festival, it is exactly fifteen days.

Chinese New Year Around the World

The United Nations has made the Chinese New Year an official holiday, and many Southeast Asian countries celebrate it with their traditions.

Malaysia: The holiday is from the first to the second day of the first lunar month. On the Lantern Festival, unmarried women write their names on oranges and throw them into the water, hoping a man will pick them up to find a partner. Anyone who is not married, no matter their age, can receive red envelopes.

Singapore: The holiday is from the first to the second day of the first lunar month. They give each other oranges, which means sharing wealth and hoping for prosperity in the new year.

Vietnam: The holiday lasts from the first to the fourth day of the first lunar month. They decorate their homes with peach blossoms, kumquat pots, and fruit plates for good luck and to honor ancestors. 

Chinese New Year 2027 - Year of the Goat

Chinese New Year 2027, also known as the Year of the Goat, will be celebrated on February 6th, 2027. People are going to obtain a 7-day holiday from Feb. 6-12.

The goat is a symbol of harmony, prosperity, and righteousness. The other years of the horse include 2003, 1991, 1979, 1967, 1955, 1943…...

People who were born in these years are honest and friendly.

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