In most of the world, February 17, 2026 was just another day. For people in China, Vietnam, and Korea, however, it was the start of a 15-day celebration: The Lunar New Year, a time to connect with family, honor ancestors, and welcome the start of spring.

“I think the Chinese calendar was made in ancient times. Like Mesopotamian or Babylonian times,” says Amelia Raring (9). It’s widely accepted by most scholars that the Lunar New Year originated all the way back to the Shang Dynasty, however, the date became fixed during the Han Dynasty. Therefore, this freshman’s guess was six hundred years off.

A tradition was listed by Chloie Crowder (9), “It’s considered throwing away your luck if you throw away trash in the first few days of the celebration.” Other traditions include wearing red, giving children red envelopes with money inside, eating symbolic food, lighting firecrackers, cleaning before the new year, and a lantern festival to end the holiday.

The Gregorian calendar (used in the U.S.) is a solar calendar that is an improved version of the Julian calendar, while the Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar that balances Earth’s orbit around the sun with the moon’s phases, therefore making it track agricultural seasons very well. Raring thinks, “the Chinese calendar is more accurate because it uses the moon phases too.” Crowder, on the other hand, says, “the moon doesn’t really affect anything, so the Gregorian calendar is more accurate.”

Raring thinks four is an unlucky number in the context of the Lunar New Year because, “Four can be divisible by two, and two is a common number. I don’t like four and I think it’s unlucky.” In East Asian cultures, four is unlucky for another reason. “Four” sounds very similar to “death” in Mandarin and other Chinese dialects, leading to the avoidance of the number. Buildings frequently skip the fourth floor and properties with a four are often priced lower because of a lack of demand. In fact, there are increased rates of cardiac arrest on the fourth of each month from psychological stress.

In summary, the Lunar New Year is a time for a fresh start and celebration. Happy Lunar New Year, Titans! Stay safe, respectful, and responsible!