Lunar New Year 2026 falls on Tuesday, 17 February 2026 — the second new moon after the December solstice. While Chinese New Year is the most famous, the same astronomical moment is celebrated as Seollal in Korea, Tết in Vietnam, Losar in Tibet/Bhutan, and Tsagaan Sar in Mongolia. Each tradition has unique customs, foods, and durations.
For broader Chinese calendar context, see /chinese-calendar. For the Chinese zodiac specifically, see Year of the Horse 2026.
Quick reference: Lunar New Year 2026 by country
| Country | Local name | Dates 2026 | Days off |
|---|---|---|---|
| China (mainland) | 春节 Spring Festival | 17-23 Feb | 7 (Golden Week) |
| Hong Kong | 農曆新年 | 17-19 Feb | 3 |
| Taiwan | 春節 | 16-22 Feb (incl. eve) | 7 |
| Singapore | Chinese New Year | 17-18 Feb | 2 |
| Malaysia | Tahun Baru Cina | 17-18 Feb | 2 (or 1 in some states) |
| Indonesia | Tahun Baru Imlek | 17 Feb | 1 |
| Vietnam | Tết Nguyên Đán | 16-22 Feb | 5-7 |
| South Korea | 설날 Seollal | 16-18 Feb | 3 |
| Tibet (PRC) | ལོ་གསར་ Losar | 18-20 Feb (varies) | 3 |
| Mongolia | Цагаан сар Tsagaan Sar | 17-19 Feb | 3 |
| Bhutan | Losar (Druk Tshe-chu) | 17-19 Feb | 3 |
Note: dates can vary by ±1 day in countries that compute their own lunar calendar (notably Vietnam and Mongolia, which use slightly different astronomical reference meridians).
Chinese New Year 春节
By far the largest celebration — the world's biggest annual human migration as ~3 billion trips happen in China around Chunyun (Spring Festival travel season).
Key dates 2026:
- Eve (Chu Xi) — 16 Feb: family reunion dinner
- Day 1 — 17 Feb: New Year proper; firecrackers, red envelopes
- Day 2 — 18 Feb: married daughters visit parents
- Day 7 — 23 Feb: everyone's birthday (Renri)
- Day 15 — 3 Mar: Lantern Festival closes the celebration
The 2026 year is the Year of the Fire Horse (丙午 Bing Wu) — see our Year of the Horse guide.
Vietnamese Tết Nguyên Đán
Tết is the most important Vietnamese holiday — a week-long celebration with deep ancestor veneration. The Vietnamese lunar calendar can differ from the Chinese by ±1 day due to a different reference meridian (Hanoi vs Beijing).
Vietnamese-specific traditions:
- Bánh chưng (square sticky rice cake) and bánh tét (cylindrical) prepared in advance
- Mai flower (yellow apricot blossom) decorations in the south; đào (peach blossom) in the north
- First-foot visitor (xông đất) — the first person to enter a house in the new year is carefully chosen for auspicious traits
- Lì xì — red envelopes with new money
Vietnamese also celebrate the Year of the Cat in 2026 (not the Rabbit) — one of the few Vietnamese-Chinese zodiac differences.
Wait — let me clarify: Vietnamese zodiac swaps the Rabbit for the Cat. In 2026 both calendars celebrate the Horse, so no difference this year.
Korean Seollal 설날
Seollal is one of two major Korean holidays alongside Chuseok (autumn festival).
Three-day celebration:
- Eve (Seotdal Geumeum) — 16 Feb: families travel home
- Day 1 (Seollal) — 17 Feb: Charye ancestral rites, sebae (formal bow to elders) and receiving sebaedon (money)
- Day 2 — 18 Feb: continued visits
Korean-specific foods:
- Tteokguk (떡국) — sliced rice cake soup; eating a bowl symbolically adds one year to your age
- Mandu (만두) — Korean dumplings
- Jeon — savory pancakes (vegetable, meat, fish)
A unique Korean concept: Korean age. Until 2023, everyone in Korea was considered 1 year old at birth and gained a year on Lunar New Year (not their actual birthday). The system was officially abolished but still felt in tteokguk tradition.
Tibetan Losar ལོ་གསར་
Tibetan Buddhist New Year. Date can differ from Chinese New Year by up to a month due to different astronomical calculations and intercalary months. In 2026, Losar falls on Wednesday, 18 February — one day after Chinese New Year.
Three-day celebration:
- Day 1 — family home rites and the first meal of guthuk (noodle soup)
- Day 2 — visiting friends; monasteries hold special ceremonies
- Day 3 — sang-sol fire offerings, raising of new prayer flags
The year 2026 is Fire Horse year in Tibetan astrology (same as Chinese), beginning year 2153 in the Tibetan calendar.
Mongolian Tsagaan Sar Цагаан сар
"White Month" — celebrating the start of spring. Date follows the Mongolian lunar calendar, which can diverge from Chinese by ±1 day.
Traditions:
- Bituun (eve) — closing of the lunar cycle; family eats together
- Tsagaan Sar Day 1 — visiting elders in strict birth order
- Sheep's tail — placed on the altar; elder cuts and offers to guests
- Khorkhog — meat steamed inside an animal stomach with hot stones
- Three days of visiting, traditionally only male visitors
Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia
Southeast Asian Chinese diaspora celebrate alongside the mainstream calendar:
- Singapore — Chingay Parade in Chinatown; lion dance; River Hongbao at Marina Bay
- Malaysia — Yusheng (Prosperity Toss) salad ritual; lion dance at homes and businesses
- Indonesia — Imlek; barongsai dragon dance; first declared a national holiday in 2003 by President Megawati
See our Tahun Baru Imlek 2026 Indonesia guide for Indonesia-specific details.
Why does Lunar New Year fall on a different Gregorian date each year?
The Chinese lunar calendar uses the second new moon after the December solstice as New Year's Day. The new moon arrives every ~29.5 days, but the December solstice is fixed astronomically.
This means Chinese New Year can fall anywhere from January 21 to February 20. Within this window, it shifts forward by ~10-11 days each Gregorian year, then jumps backward when a leap month is added to the lunar calendar.
Recent and upcoming dates:
- 2024: 10 February (Dragon)
- 2025: 29 January (Snake)
- 2026: 17 February (Horse)
- 2027: 6 February (Goat)
- 2028: 26 January (Monkey)
Common greetings
| Language | Greeting | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 新年快乐 / 新年快樂 | Xīnnián kuàilè |
| Cantonese | 恭喜發財 | Gung hei fat choi |
| Vietnamese | Chúc Mừng Năm Mới | "chook moong nam moy" |
| Korean | 새해 복 많이 받으세요 | Saehae bok mani badeuseyo |
| Tibetan | ལོ་གསར་བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས | Losar Tashi Delek |
| Mongolian | Сар шинэдээ сайхан шинэлээрэй | Sar shinedee saikhan shineleerei |
Related references
- Chinese calendar 2026
- Year of the Horse 2026
- Chinese New Year complete guide
- China 2026 holidays
- Vietnam 2026 holidays
- South Korea 2026 holidays
- Singapore 2026 holidays
- February 2026 calendar
Lunar New Year dates can vary by ±1 day across countries due to different astronomical reference meridians. Verify with local authorities for confirmed public-holiday status.