Chinese New Year and Double-buffed Fire Horse
- Yana Evans
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
Chinese New Year and Fire Horse
中国新年 (Zhōngguó Xīnnián)
Right from the start, it’s important to understand that the New Year is perceived very differently by Chinese and Europeans. In Europe, we are used to calling it the “Chinese New Year,” but the more popular and more accurate name for this holiday is the “Spring Festival” chunjie 春 (chūn) means spring, 节 (jié) means festival.
While for most Europeans the New Year begins on the night from December 31 to January 1, in China the New Year comes with the Spring Festival and the change of the annual cycle, which we’ll talk about below. And honestly, this system is much more logical than the familiar European one. So in this context, when I say “New Year,” I mean exactly the Chinese Spring Festival, and it has nothing to do with our European holiday.
Every year the Spring Festival falls on different dates and is calculated according to the lunar calendar 农历 (nónglì), which is also called the “farmer’s calendar.”
In 2026, the Spring Festival is celebrated on the night of February 16.
The Legend of Nian 年 (nián)
How it all began, why red is important, and why everything is so noisy
This legend is more than a thousand years old. According to it, on the last day of winter (the annual cycle), a monster named Nian 年 (nián) would come. It attacked villages, destroyed everything around, and spread chaos. People were terrified and had no mood for celebration.
But one day, people noticed that Nian was also fearful, it was afraid of the color red and loud noises. And so it became customary, on the day of its arrival, to hang red decorations everywhere and set off fireworks to scare the evil spirit away.
In ancient times, before fireworks were invented, people threw pieces of bamboo into the fire. When heated, they exploded with loud bangs. This is how the tradition was born: the New Year must be welcomed brightly, in red, noisily, and joyfully, to scare away everything bad.
Preparing for the Spring Festival
The Chinese prepare for the Spring Festival very thoroughly. The last month of the cycle (the year) is called 腊月 (Làyuè), and it is scheduled almost day by day. Each day clearly states what should be cleaned, what should be bought, which lists to prepare, when to pack gifts, which recipes to choose for the New Year’s table, and so on.
If you work with China, you may notice that during this period life and business seem to freeze: employees go to visit relatives, offices are empty. It’s a bit like Italy in August during Ferragosto, when all shops are closed and the streets are full only of lost and confused tourists.
Here are some examples of tasks during this last month of the cycle:
January 25 (初七) – Purifying the house with incense, cleaning storerooms.
January 26 (初八, 腊八节 Laba Festival) – Cooking 腊八粥 (Laba porridge); honoring ancestors.
January 30 (初十二) – Prepare/buy gifts for relatives.
February 10 (廿三) – Final laundry and ironing.
February 11 (廿四) – Stocking up on drinks, preparing spices/sauces.
February 12 (廿五) – Checking festive treats, selecting recipes.
February 13 (廿六) – Packing all food into separate baskets/containers.
February 14 (廿七) – Checking and charging lanterns/chandeliers (for festive atmosphere).
February 15 (廿八) – Last small household tasks, ironing clothes, packing bags.
February 16 (腊月三十, New Year’s Eve) – The main preparation day: meeting with family, final cleaning, cooking all festive dishes, offerings to ancestors and spirits, welcoming the new lunar cycle.
General Cleaning 大扫除 (dà sǎo chú)
A big general cleaning is one of the most important stages. You need to prepare the house and sweep out everything old to welcome the new. In the first days of the new cycle, you should not clean the house anymore, because new happiness has just arrived and it needs time to stay, otherwise you might sweep out your new luck.
Red Envelopes 红包 (hóngbāo)
In China, red is the color of joy and happiness, and it also scares away evil, so during the Spring Festival, everything is red.
Money envelopes come in many designs and are made of thick red paper. The smallest banknote you might put inside is usually 100 yuan, but more often people try to give from 1,000 yuan and up.
If you give an envelope to a child, you can put 600, 800, or 900 yuan (even numbers, but not 4). In general, numbers like 6, 8, and 9 are valued, but not 4. And the more zeros, the better – 10,000, 20,000, and so on meuheuheuheu.
Electronic red envelopes in WeChat have also become popular. You can send any amount, and numbers gain additional meaning:
666 yuan – wishing good luck
88 – wishing wealth
9 – wishing something long-lasting (friendship, happiness, etc.)
So if you can’t give an envelope in person, you can always send it on WeChat.
Decorating the House
对联 (duìlián) are paired calligraphic couplets, usually on red paper, which are glued on both sides of the front door. Above the door there is a summarizing wish, and in the center there is usually the character for happiness or prosperity. Sometimes the central character is hung upside down because the phrases “prosperity is upside down” and “prosperity has arrived” sound the same.
Paper Cuttings 窗花 (chuānghuā)
These are intricate paper cuttings, like snowflakes, but much cooler. For beginners, there are ready-made kits. In the end, they are also glued to windows and add to the festive atmosphere.
Family
The Chinese try to go back home, meet their parents and relatives, and gather together. Round tables, where the whole family can sit together, and the cyclical nature of life — all of this symbolizes happiness in Chinese culture.
Fireworks and Modern Alternatives to Old Traditions
Just like WeChat offered a modern alternative to red envelopes, something similar is happening with fireworks. In recent years, they have been restricted or banned in many places because of noise, smoke, air pollution, danger to the environment (parks), and so on.
Just as fireworks once replaced burning bamboo, now fireworks are being replaced by light shows and drones. They may be just as loud, but they are considered more environmentally friendly. The spectacle and the traditions remain but without smoke and fire.
Cyclicality and Renewal
The Chinese New Year is a symbol of renewal. There are many hopes and expectations. People make wishes, pray, ask different gods and spirits for help. Daoists, Buddhists, and even people who are not very religious still come, light incense, and ask for their wishes to come true.
The Spring Festival Is a System Reboot
The New Year in China is the beginning of spring, the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. That’s why the New Year comes only with the Spring Festival (春节).
Cyclicality in Chinese culture can be seen almost everywhere and carries deep meaning. Now the cycle is ending, and in winter the Chinese prefer to rest more. This is a time of silence and peace, of storing energy, of eating hot and nourishing food. Like bears in winter, they accumulate strength for the next cycle and new growth.
In traditional Chinese medicine, a year is considered one big cycle that begins in spring. Besides the big yearly cycle, there are small cycles – days. One day is a small cycle that begins at 11 p.m. Then there are 24 seasonal sub-cycles, each lasting about two weeks, and together they form one big yearly cycle.
Everything is cyclical. And if we live each season and each small cycle in accordance with the weather, the sky, and the energy around us, then over the big yearly cycle we not only don’t age, but actually preserve youth.
The Year of the Red Fire Horse
It’s important to note: in Europe, if you are born in the year of an animal, it’s considered “your year” and people think everything will be great. In China, it’s the opposite: your own year is considered more dangerous, you are more vulnerable and need extra protection.
That’s why in your own year people wear something red (the color of protection): bracelets, underwear, clothes, etc. Red should be present on the body throughout the whole Year of the Horse, and this amulet is supposed to protect you.
How Is All This Decoded?
Long story short, this is some thousand-year-old multi-step scheme. I still don’t fully get this system myself. The main thing is: there are two models – the heavenly one (the elements, 天干 Tiān Gān) and the earthly one (the animals, 地支 Dì Zhī). They sort of move like gears in a clock – at the same time, but at different speeds.
In Chinese tradition, there is the system of the Five Elements 五行 (wǔ xíng): 金 (metal), 水 (water), 木 (wood), 火 (fire), 土 (earth). These are the Heavenly Stems 天干 (Tiān Gān). Each element is also divided into yin and yang (like “male water” and “female water”), so there are 10 in total.
That’s where we get the idea of the Fire Yang Horse, basically, our horse is a stallion.
Also the elements interact in other two ways: 相生 (xiāng shēng) – the generating cycle and 相克 (xiāng kè) – the restraining cycle
This year’s element is Fire, which means there will be a lot of movement and many possible changes. It’s a strong year for opportunities and for sudden decisions. Because the Fire element is very strong and dominant, the Chinese, even those who don’t really believe in it, will still behave more cautiously: they’ll try to avoid or smooth over conflicts, and actively use any opportunities that appear.
The Earthly Model: Earthly Branches 地支 (Dì Zhī)
This is the familiar “Chinese zodiac” with 12 animals. Remember, the Heavenly system has 10 signs. So every year in China has two signs and… Yin/Yang energy (I prefer to think of it as sex/gender).
Each animal also has its own “default” element.
The Horse (in the Earthly Branches it’s called 午 wǔ) is by default Fire Yang, and this year it gets an extra Fire Yang “achievement.” So it’s not just double-buffed on fire, but also has double Yang energy, which, in my head, gives it balls the size of ostriches and sets the whole thing on fire like Ghost Rider.
Somehow, out of these twelve Earthly Branches came the traditional Chinese timekeeping 时辰 (shíchen), used in traditional Chinese medicine, where one branch equals two modern hours.
The Horse is number 7 午 (wǔ) in the cycle. It corresponds to the time period 午时 (wǔshí) from 11:00 to 13:00, when the heart’s energy is most active. You can think of this like biorhythms and hormonal clocks.
If you constantly feel like lying down around 12:00 – that’s your biorhythms speaking. So go lie down. It’s useful (and nice).
These cyclical signs are deeply embedded in the language. For example: 午时 (wǔshí) → 中午 (zhōngwǔ) means “noon.” 中 (zhōng) means “middle” of the Horse hour 午 (wǔ), which lands exactly at 12:00.
You get it? Feel enlightened? I’d freaking lose my mind living by a schedule like this. I live by the motto: “Didn’t die – and that’s already effin awesome.” I’m blown away. I just wanted to learn something about the Spring Festival and ended up (AGAIN) in … this.
Adding focus keyword: chinese new year fire horse. DONE.
