Celebrating the Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year in Champaign-Urbana

How to celebrate the Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year in Champaign-Urbana

One of the great things about living in Champaign-Urbana is the bounty of cultures represented here. It seems like we just finished with Jan. 1 New Year celebrations, and now it’s already time for another fun New Year occasion — the Lunar New Year, which this year falls on Feb. 17.

The Chinese New Year may be the most well known, but it is also the Korean and Vietnamese New Year. Many East and Southeast Asian cultures celebrate this New Year holiday, which is referred to more universally as the Lunar New Year since it marks the beginning of a year whose months are based on the cycles of the moon.

Fun fact: The Christian holiday of Easter and the Jewish holiday of Passover are also calculated according to lunisolar calendars. Like the Lunar New Year, these holidays fall on a different date in our Gregorian calendar every year, but occur within the same season.

What to know about the Lunar New Year

1. The Chinese zodiac animal for 2026 is the Horse. According to internet astrology, “Horse is confident, agreeable, and responsible, although they also tend to dislike being reined in by others. They’re fit and intelligent, adoring physical and mental exertion; they’re decisive but also easily swayed and impatient.”

2. The Lunar New Year in 2026 falls on Tuesday, Feb. 17. It traditionally is celebrated for 16 days starting on the previous evening. There are different traditions for each day of the New Year celebration, and it ends with the Lantern Festival.

3. Red is a popular color for Chinese New Year, as it symbolizes fortune and luck.

4. A traditional gift for children during Chinese New Year, red pockets or 红包 (hóng bāo) are small red envelopes filled with lucky money.

5. The Korean New Year in 2026 is also Feb. 17. The Korean New Year holiday lasts three days.

6. Japan celebrated the Lunar New Year until 1873, when its government decided to adopt the Gregorian calendar. Japan’s many and extensive New Year’s traditions — including ringing the bells of Buddhist temples and sending New Year postcards to friends and family — have centered around Jan. 1 ever since.

Even if you aren’t able to participate in an official Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year celebration in town, here are some fun ways to observe the holiday with your family:

1. Taste the cuisine of China, Korea, or Vietnam. Champaign-Urbana has an incredible number of Asian restaurants. We have our favorite places to get Chinese food and Korean food, too.
2. Make a craft. One popular item to decorate for Chinese New Year is a Good Luck character banner. Make one with these directions. Or make your own paper lanterns with these directions.
3. Check out some books about Lunar New Year at your local library (Champaign Public Library and Urbana Free Library have plenty).
4. Have a party. We have previously found Chinese New Year party supplies and decorations at Home Goods and the Savoy Walmart, which tells us that the holiday is more well-known than ever.

In past years our event calendar has featured Lunar New Year and Chinese New Year celebrations in Urbana, Champaign, Mahomet and Monticello. We will add any public events to this post as we find out about them, so check back as the holiday approaches.

Do you know of a Lunar New Year celebration we should add to this list? Please submit it here.