Happy Lunar New Year 2026: Yummy Food 美味的食物

February 17, 2026

Happy Lunar New Year 2026: Yummy Food 美味的食物

Today, Tuesday, 17, the year of the Fire Horse, which will follow the year of the snake. Lunar is a general term. In China, the Lunar New Year, also called Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, is the most important holiday, according to the Smithsonian Institution.

More than a dozen countries celebrate the new year at this time, including Vietnam, where the holiday is called Vietnamese New Year (Tet), and Korea, where it is called Korean New Year (Seollal).

The Chinese New Year is almost always celebrated on the second new moon following the winter solstice, Dec. 21. This year, 2026, is referred to as the year of the horse, or the year of the fire horse. In 2027, it will be the year of the goat.

The animal signs are from the Chinese zodiac, repeating a 12-year cycle of animal signs and their attributes. Also, there are five elements within the Chinese zodiac that rotate with each year: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

So what does that mean for the rest of us? An opportunity to enjoy all of the delicious foods.

This year, I cheated. Last minute remembering it was the Lunar New Year, I visited my pantry and freezer and found Momofuku noodles (Korean), Tai Pei potstickers, and Dumpling Daughter chili sauce. Voila! Dinner!

... And my pretty pink MacKenzie-Childs tea kettle.

Over the years, I have taken many international cooking classes, including Asian, Jewish, and Lebanese. I also taught myself to cook several French dishes and bake a few pastries with the help of a good Le Creuset pot and a Julia Child cookbook.

When it comes to celebrating the Lunar New Year, there was a time when I would make the yeast dough for the steamed BBQ pork bao buns (a two-day process), make the filling for the pot stickers, steam them in the traditional bamboo steamer, and keep all of the special ingredients on hand, like Hello Kitty soy sauce. I mean, what's an Asian-inspired meal without Hello Kitty?