Why the Year of the Fire Horse is such a special cultural celebration

It’s that time of the year when Asian-Australians ring in their Lunar New Year with traditions, family time and delicious food.

The Lunar New Year is a celebration to greet the arrival of spring and the new year on the lunisolar* calendar.

While it is the most important holiday in China, it’s also celebrated in Korea, Vietnam and other countries with Chinese diaspora*.

This year, Lunar New Year will fall on Tuesday 17 February, with many New Year’s Eve celebrations beginning on the evening of the 16th.

Celebrations often go for 15 days and finish with a lantern festival, though festivities vary depending on culture and country. In Korea, Lunar New Year celebrations, known as Seollal usually last three to five days.

“Previously known as Chinese New Year, the name of the celebration has been changed in Australia to better reflect our increasingly multicultural* society and to include all communities who mark the occasion,” said Western Sydney University’s Institute for Australian and Chinese Arts and Culture director, Professor Jing Han.

“The Sydney Lunar Festival has grown into one of the largest Lunar New Year celebrations outside Asia and a major highlight of Sydney’s annual arts calendar.”

Gong Grocer Asian Supermarket founder Linh Nguyen said families engaged in several traditions with many fond memories to be made.

“I’m originally from Vietnam, with Hainanese roots, and I migrated to Australia from the United States in 2001,” she said.

“Australia became home for our family, and it’s where many of our Lunar New Year traditions have continued and been passed down.’’

She said celebrations in Vietnam involved the wider community, with large festivities that extended across neighbourhoods and the city.

“Our family home had a shrine* where we would pay our respects, burn incense, prepare special food offerings and light firecrackers,’’ Ms Nguyen said.

“The atmosphere felt lively and collective*, with everyone around you celebrating at the same time.

“In Australia, the celebrations feel more intimate*, but the meaning remains the same. We still gather as a family, prepare food together and share a meaningful meal.’’

She observed that celebrations in Australia “were becoming more intentional”.

“No matter how busy life becomes, Lunar New Year is the moment we slow down, come back to each other and reconnect with our traditions and values,” she said.

Ms Nguyen highlighted how different foods that were traditionally eaten hold different meanings when eaten at Lunar New Year.

“In my family, which is both Chinese and Vietnamese, we celebrate by eating spring rolls, which represent prosperity,” she said.

“The act of wrapping spring rolls together is just as important, as it symbolises family unity and spending time together. Similarly, in Chinese culture, eating tangyuan* represents reunion and wholeness, and is a way of wishing for family togetherness in the year ahead.

“Across cultures, the dishes may change but the meanings remain the same. Chinese families might eat dumplings, fish, and longevity noodles, while Vietnamese families often

have similar foods, but additionally have bánh chung* or spring rolls.’’

She said Koreans celebrated with tteokguk (rice cake soup), which symbolised growing a year older, and japchae (glass noodles), which represent longevity.

“While the flavours differ, each culture expresses the same values, prosperity, longevity*, and togetherness – through food,’’ she said.

YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE
In the Chinese tradition, each lunar year is represented by 12 different zodiac animals as well as one of the five elements: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, or Earth.

The new year in 2026 will be the year of the Fire Horse – a year that represents vitality, strength and new opportunities.

Professor Han said the combination of fire and horse was a rare and special occurrence that only happened once every 60 years.

“Fire Horses are intelligent, charismatic, lively, and full of enthusiasm, but they can also be stubborn,” she said. “The Year of the Horse represents success, vitality, strength, good fortune, prosperity, and opportunities.

“In Chinese ancient history, horses are crucial in winning battles, which is why they symbolise the key to success and good fortune.”

WERE YOU BORN IN THE YEAR OF THE HORSE?
People born in 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, or on or after February 17 2026 are considered horses in the Chinese zodiac.

“People born in the Year of the Horse are known for their optimism, energy, perseverance, independent thinking, love of freedom, positive mindset, compassion and charm,” said Professor Han.

“They are excellent communicators, able to engage others in conversation and brighten any atmosphere. Passionate about freedom, they strive to break away from restraints. Highly driven in life and career, they make extraordinary efforts to achieve their goals. Horse people are ideal friends, valued for their candour*, fairness, understanding and empathy*.”

Some famous Horses include Nelson Mandela, Malcolm Turnbull, Emma Watson, Neil Armstrong, Paul McCartney, Ang Lee and Jackie Chan.

CELEBRATING LUNAR NEW YEAR
Australia’s Chinese population first began growing in earnest in the 1850s, thanks to the Gold Rush, but the first arrival of a Chinese free settler was recorded in 1818.

That settler was Canton*-born Mak Sai Ying, later known as John Shying, who landed in Sydney at the end of February 1818, a mere 30 years after the arrival of the First Fleet.

The Lunar New Year is a great opportunity to celebrate our long history of multiculturalism and come together to celebrate a new year of prosperity and opportunity.

Why not ask your parents to take you to a Lunar New Year celebration happening near you?

POLL

GLOSSARY

• lunisolar: a calendar based on the cycles of the moon but adjusted to fit the length of the solar cycle. It combines monthly lunar cycles with the solar year
• diaspora: the movement of people from their home country to other countries to live
• multicultural: a society made up of many different cultures
• shrine: a sacred space dedicated to a deity, saint or an ancestor
• collective: everyone celebrating as one
• intimate: private celebrations, rather than big public ones
• tangyuan: sweet rice balls
• bánh chung: a square rice cake filled with mung beans, pork belly and sticky rice
• longevity: living a long life
• candour: honest
• empathy: being able to relate to others and being open to understanding how they feel in different situations

EXTRA READING

Celebrating the Chinese New Year

Welcome to the Year of the Ox

Calls for new Aussie public holiday

QUICK QUIZ

1. When is Lunar New Year in 2026?
2. What type of calendar is it based on?
3. How many zodiac animals represent the years in the Chinese tradition?
4. What year is 2026?
5. What are two other Asian countries in addition to China that celebrate Lunar New Year?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Symbolism poster
Create a poster to inform about the symbolism of traditional Lunar New Year foods or the Chinese Zodiac signs. Perform any research required to obtain the information you require for your poster, and design it so that it fits the theme of Lunar New Year.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Visual Arts; Intercultural Understanding

2. Extension
Write a short story about a person who is a “Fire Horse” spending a day celebrating Lunar New Year. Be sure to show their personality traits and include some new year traditions within your story.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Intercultural Understanding

VCOP ACTIVITY
To sum it up
After reading the article, use your comprehension skills to summarise in a maximum of three sentences what the article is about.

Think about:

What is the main topic or idea?

What is an important or interesting fact?

Who was involved (people or places)?

Use your VCOP skills to re-read your summary to make sure it is clear, specific and well punctuated.