Let's Celebrate the Lunar New Year 2026 Year of the Horse

Please join the celebration of 2026 Lunar New Year Festival by SOAN300 Explore Japan on Mon, 2/16 at the Memorial Union (11:00am - 2:00pm).

You didn't realize but every year, some time between late January and early February, an estimated 2 billion people across the globe, many of them in East and Southeast Asia, celebrate the Lunar New Year. This means that many people on the other side of the world will celebrate the Lunar New Year on Tue, February 17th this year.

Each year, the date of Lunar New Year changes because it follows a lunar calendar. To put it differently, the corresponding lunar date on the Gregorian calendar (your calendar) is not the same every year. For example, next year the Lunar New Year will fall on Sat, 2/6 in 2027. The lunar calendar is great for seasonal changes. This year February 3rd is Ip-chun 입춘, which is the first day of spring while March 5th is Kyung-chip 경칩, which is the day insects appear from their holes in the ground and hibernating frogs end hibernation. This is how older generations view seasonal shifts - Japan is an exception. In 1893, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar as a way of westernizing/modernizing the country.

Each culture has its own name for the New Year, customs, traditions and beliefs. For instance, Lunar New Year in China is called the Spring Festival, or chūnjié. South Korea refers to the Lunar New Year as Seollal. In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is called Tết, which is short for Tết Nguyên Đán.

Lunar calendar years are commonly associated with the 12 animals: mouse/rat, cow/ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig - keep in mind the first animal on the 12 Animal Zodiac is the Mouse/Rat. This means that each animal has 12 year cycle. This year is the Year of the Horse (2002-2014-2026-2038). Next year it will be the Year of the Goat (2003-2015-2027-2039). The 12 Animal Zodiac is used for important life events including baby-naming and marriage compatibility. For more information, please click here.

Seollal 설날 is the biggest national holiday in Korea. Traditionally families gather from all over Korea at the house of their oldest male, and then people perform ancestral rites (memorial services), pay respects to their elders, and exchange well-wishing remarks. Most of all, they all wish for a prosperous and healthy year ahead. The centerpiece of the holiday is the ritual of ancestor worship, but there are other activities including eating together, playing games and performing Sebae 새배 where children bow to their elders and receive small gifts of money. By doing sabae, kids get new year's allowance - when you get older like post-college, you will get well-wishing remarks such as finding a job, getting married, or having a kid in lieu of money.

When you perform sebae, you say loud that "se hae bok manee ba un se yo," which simply means have a great luck to you this year.