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Lunar New Year Begins, Ushering in China’s Year of the Fire Horse

The holiday opens a weeks-long festival period that culminates with the March 3 Lantern Festival.

Overview

  • February 17, 2026 marks the shift from the Year of the Serpent to the Fire Horse, a combination that recurs every 60 years, last seen in 1966.
  • Tradition associates the Fire Horse with energy, dynamism, ambition and visibility, with media horoscopes offering interpretive sign-by-sign outlooks.
  • Chunyun drives the world’s largest annual migration as hundreds of millions travel for family reunions, and China observes the first seven days as public holidays.
  • Reported first-day customs include avoiding cleaning, haircuts, disputes and lending money, while wearing red for luck and skipping black or white.
  • Italian cities plan public celebrations with parades and dances in Prato (Feb 16–22), Rome (Feb 21–22) and Milan (March 1), as a Draco Malfoy meme trends on Chinese social media and Tom Felton joins the fun.