Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)
China · 2026
About Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)
Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival (Chūnjié), is the most important traditional festival in Chinese culture. It celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar, falling between January 21st and February 20th.
Chinese New Year has been celebrated for over 3,500 years. Its origins lie in ancient agricultural traditions marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring planting season. The festival traditionally lasted 15 days, culminating in the Lantern Festival.
Today, Chinese New Year is celebrated by over 1.5 billion people worldwide, not only in China but across Southeast Asia (in Vietnam it is called Tết, in Korea Seollal) and Chinese diaspora communities globally.
Quick Facts
- Date 2026
- February 17, 2026
- Day
- Tuesday
- Type
- Public
- Scope
- National
- Fixed Date
- No — date changes each year
- Local Name
- 春节
- Traditions
- Family reunion dinners · Red envelopes (hongbao) · Fireworks and firecrackers · Dragon and lion dances
When is Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)?
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | January 29, 2025 | Wednesday |
| 2026This year | February 17, 2026 | Tuesday |
| 2027 | February 6, 2027 | Saturday |
4-Day Long Weekend
Because Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) falls on a Tuesday, it creates a 4-day long weekend from Saturday, February 14 to Tuesday, February 17.
How is Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) Celebrated?
Chinese New Year celebrations include family reunion dinners on New Year's Eve, fireworks and firecrackers to ward off evil spirits, lion and dragon dances, and the giving of red envelopes (hongbao) containing money as gifts. Houses are cleaned before the new year to sweep away bad luck.
Traditional foods eaten during Chinese New Year include dumplings (representing wealth), fish (symbolizing surplus), glutinous rice cakes (nian gao, symbolizing advancement), and tangyuan (sweet rice balls, symbolizing family togetherness).
Did You Know?
- •Chinese New Year is associated with a 12-year cycle of zodiac animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
- •The world's largest annual human migration occurs during the Chinese New Year period, called 'Chunyun,' as hundreds of millions travel home for the holiday.
- •Red is the dominant color of Chinese New Year because it is believed to ward off evil spirits and bad luck.
- •The tradition of red envelopes (hongbao) has gone digital, with billions of digital red envelopes sent via WeChat each year.
- •The Lantern Festival on the 15th day marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations.