Lunar New Year: Global celebrations welcome Year of the Fire Horse

From Beijing to Hong Kong to Moscow, people celebrate Lunar New Year with cultural events and vibrant displays.The Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, marks the start of the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac. [Andres Martinez Casares/EPA]Published On 17 Feb 2026People are celebrating the Lunar New Year with prayers, fireworks and street festivals to welcome the Year of the Fire Horse.Crowds thronged temples and festivals across Asia and beyond on Monday night, continuing into Tuesday.Devotees in Hong Kong lined up at midnight to light incense and offer their New Year wishes. Vietnam celebrated with musical countdown performances and spectacular fireworks during Tet festivities. In Taiwan, worshippers participated in the symbolic 108-bell rings and presented floral offerings.These vibrant celebrations mark the transition from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac cycle.The Lunar New Year represents China’s most significant holiday, with its importance extending throughout East Asia and diaspora communities worldwide.In Beijing, crowds descended on popular temples to burn incense and pray for happiness and success in the coming year. At the CCTV Spring Festival gala, a martial arts performance by children and robots also took place, where humanoids from Unitree Robotics showed different sequences and even brandished swords.At a Hong Kong temple, the air filled with fragrant incense as participants engaged in the traditional midnight ritual of making New Year wishes. Devotees bowed repeatedly, holding bundles of incense sticks before placing them in designated containers outside the temple hall.The celebrations went beyond Asia.In the Russian capital, Moscow, visitors sampled Chinese delicacies from market stalls and strolled through snow-covered streets adorned with red lanterns and dragon decorations, as the city launched a two-week celebration. Meanwhile, in Argentina, thousands gathered in Chinatown in the capital, Buenos Aires, to celebrate, as they enjoyed dragon and lion dances on the main stage alongside martial arts demonstrations.