Today marks the beginning of the Year of the Horse, as millions around the world celebrate Lunar New Year.
The two-week celebration is also often called Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival.
The dates for Lunar New Year are based on the phases of the moon and the lunar calendar, meaning the dates change each year.
Lunar New Year is celebrated by around two billion people globally, making it one of the world’s biggest cultural events.
Here’s what you need to know.
Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year marks the start of the new year based on the moon’s cycles (unlike the Gregorian calendar, which follows the sun).
Different cultures celebrate it with different names. It’s called Spring Festival in China, Seollal in Korea, and Tết in Vietnam.
It always falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (22 Dec), which means it can land anywhere between late January and mid-February. This year it coincides with a new moon solar eclipse.
Celebrations
Celebrations vary across cultures, but there are some common threads.
Before celebrations kick off, people thoroughly clean their homes to sweep away bad luck.
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During the festivities, red decorations are put up, families gather for reunion dinners and kids receive money in red envelopes called hongbao or lai see.
There are also dragon and lion dances, fireworks, temple visits, and symbolic foods — think fish and dumplings in China or tteokguk (rice cake soup) in Korea.
Year of the Horse
There are 12 animals in the zodiac, and five elements – wood, fire, earth, metal, and water – meaning each animal-element pairing appears once every 60 years.
This year’s zodiac (the fire horse) is associated with speed, courage, dedication, and decisive action.
The last year of the fire horse was 1966/67. According to analysis from the World Bank, Japan’s fertility rate decreased that year due to a superstition that women born during a fire horse year will have bad temperaments and kill their husbands.
Australia
Sydney hosts the largest Lunar New Year celebrations of any place outside Asia.
To mark the event, the sails of the Sydney Opera House were lit red ahead of the Lunar New Year.
The colour is believed to attract luck, prosperity, and joy, while warding off evil spirits.
Celebrations will conclude on 3 March with lantern festivals held across the country.
