Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, known in the Philippines as Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year, will be observed on February 17, 2026. It marks the beginning of the traditional lunisolar calendar and is one of the most important celebrations among Filipino-Chinese communities. The 2026 celebration begins the Year of the Fire Horse, a zodiac year traditionally associated with energy, independence, ambition, and dynamic change. In the Philippines, the occasion is also recognized as a special non-working holiday through the government’s annual holiday proclamations.

Chinese cultural influence in the Philippines reaches back to precolonial maritime trade, when merchants from southern China exchanged ceramics, silk, metal goods, and other products with communities in the archipelago. Chinese migration expanded during the Spanish colonial period, and Binondo in Manila—established as a Chinese settlement in 1594—is widely regarded as the world’s oldest Chinatown. Over time, Chinese customs became closely connected with Filipino life, especially through intermarriage, commerce, cuisine, and community institutions. Chinese New Year therefore functions both as a heritage celebration for Filipino-Chinese families and as a widely enjoyed cultural event throughout the country.

Celebrations in the Philippines commonly begin with family reunions, household cleaning and decorating, temple visits, prayers for prosperity, and the exchange of red envelopes called ang pao containing money. Red and gold decorations are especially prominent because they symbolize good fortune, happiness, wealth, and protection. Lion and dragon dances are performed in shopping districts, schools, businesses, and neighborhoods, accompanied by drums, cymbals, and firecrackers or other festive noise intended to drive away bad luck. Manila’s Binondo district is the country’s best-known center of public festivities, featuring parades, cultural performances, crowded markets, and temple activities.

Food is central to the celebration. Families commonly serve tikoy, a sticky rice cake whose texture symbolizes unity and strong family ties, as well as noodles for longevity, dumplings for prosperity, fish for abundance, spring rolls, sweet fruits, and other auspicious dishes. Some households avoid sweeping, breaking objects, or arguing on New Year’s Day because these actions are traditionally believed to remove or invite misfortune. Common greetings include “Gong Xi Fa Cai” or “Kung Hei Fat Choi,” meaning “Wishing you prosperity,” along with the Filipino greeting “Manigong Bagong Taon,” meaning “Prosperous New Year.”