Lunar New Year: Get ready for the Year of the Horse

Millions of people around the world are celebrating Lunar New Year this February.

It is one of the biggest celebration events of the year for many east and south-east Asian people and is marked by many communities all over the world.

This year marks the Year of the Horse and it starts on 17 February.

Families and friends get together to eat lots of yummy food, enjoy fireworks, and wear special clothes to mark the occasion.

Find out more about Lunar New Year below, and which Zodiac animal you are!

In 2026 Lunar New Year begins on Tuesday 17 February.

New year celebrations start from the evening before, and last for 15 days.

The exact date of the Lunar New Year changes each year as it is linked to the start of a new moon.

This is different to the 'Gregorian' calendar that we traditionally use in the UK, which starts on 1 January.

Each year the date of Lunar New Year falls some time between 21 January and 20 February, on the date of the first new moon.

In Chinese tradition, each year is represented by one of 12 different animals, which feature in the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

Each animal has a year dedicated to them once every 12 years, in a cycle.

2026 marks the change from the year of the Snake to the year of the Horse.

People who are born in the year of the Horse are said to be: Adaptable, energetic, outgoing, positive, ambitious, intelligent and adventurous, but they can also be a little outspoken, self-centred and stubborn.

There are also five elements within the Chinese Zodiac: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, which also rotate depending on the year - 2026 is the year of the Fire Horse.

Check below to see which animal's year you were born in

2010 Feb. 14, 2010 – Feb. 2, 2011 Year of the Tiger

2011 Feb. 3, 2011 – Jan. 22, 2012 Year of the Rabbit

2012 Jan. 23, 2012 – Feb. 9, 2013 Year of the Dragon

2013 Feb. 10, 2013 – Jan. 30, 2014 Year of the Snake

2014 Jan. 31, 2014 – Feb. 18, 2015 Year of the Horse

2015 Feb. 19, 2015 – Feb. 7, 2016 Year of the Goat

2016 Feb. 8, 2016 – Jan. 27, 2017 Year of the Monkey

2017 Jan. 28, 2017 – Feb. 15, 2018 Year of the Rooster

2018 Feb. 16, 2018 – Feb. 4, 2019 Year of the Dog

2019 Feb. 4, 2019 – Jan. 24, 2020 Year of the Pig

2020 Jan. 25, 2020 – Feb.11, 2021 Year of the Rat

2021 Feb. 12, 2021 – Jan. 31, 2022 Year of the Ox

2022 Feb. 1, 2022 – Jan. 21, 2023 Year of the Tiger

2023 Jan. 22, 2023 – Feb. 9, 2024 Year of the Rabbit

2024 Feb. 10, 2024 – Jan. 28, 2025 Year of the Dragon

2025 Jan. 29, 2025 – Feb. 16, 2026 Year of the Snake

2026 Feb. 17, 2026 - Feb. 6, 2027 Year of the Horse

The order of the zodiac years comes from a traditional legend called The Great Race - where 12 animals raced across a river as part of a challenge set by the Jade Emperor - one of the most important gods in traditional Chinese religion.

The animals all wanted a year to be named after them so they competed to cross the river the fastest, and, using cunning, the rat won.

Then the other animals got to be named after a year in the order they finished the race.

There are some differences in the zodiac animals across different countries, for example in Vietnam, they celebrate the Year of the Cat instead of Rabbit and in Japan it's a boar instead of a pig.

Many people travel to spend time with family or friends to celebrate the new year together.

Before the festivities begin, one tradition is to clean your house really well to get rid of any bad luck, and get ready for celebrations.

In some countries, like China, schools and businesses can close for the first few days of the new year celebrations, so that everyone has a chance to spend time with their families.

People enjoy eating lots of delicious food during Lunar New Year, including dishes such as noodles, hot pot, dumplings, Nian gao (new year rice cake) or radish cake, fish and tangerines, which traditionally bring luck for the year ahead.

Another tradition is gifting red envelopes, known as Hóngbāo, to friends and family, which usually contain money, and are a token of good fortune and luck.

During Lunar New Year there are often parades and performances, with people dressing in traditional clothes, and performing traditional dances, like Lion dancing.

Fireworks are also set off, because it is thought that noise and lights will scare away any evil spirits for the coming months.

The festivities continue for two weeks, and can finish with a special lantern festival to end the celebration period.