In this podcast episode, I’m guiding you through the rich tapestry that is Lunar New Year — the festival central to millions of people’s cultural identity and annual rhythm. We are exploring how the celebration is defined, where it originates, and why the Year of the Horse in 2026 begins on February 17th, 2026 and lasts until the Lantern Festival on on March 3rd, 2026.

You will learn that this holiday is rooted in an ancient lunisolar calendar — a system that predates modern western datekeeping — and that it synchronizes communal celebration with cycles of moon and season.

This festival is not limited to one nation or one tradition. It has been adopted and adapted across Asia and in diaspora communities worldwide, including in places as varied as Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, and even major cities in Europe and North America.

I’m taking you through the symbolic meaning of the Horse — a figure associated with strength, movement, independence, and forward motion — and connect these symbols to tangible ways you can activate your own goals, relationships, and creative impulses in alignment with the spirit of this year.

Goddess, I’m inviting you to reflect and share your own experiences and traditions around Lunar New Year via the contact form in the general podcast description, because every tradition holds lessons that shape our collective human story.

REFERENCES

• Britannica, Chinese New Year: Summary, History, Traditions, & Facts.
• Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) 2026: Calendar & Horoscope, chinesenewyear.net.
• Do Only Chinese Celebrate Chinese New Year?, Alibaba Party.
• How Lunar New Year Celebrations Vary Across Countries, SBS News.

• Music: Bummin on Tremelo by Kevin MacLeod – CC BY 3.0 (incompetech.com).