Every year, the first new moon that falls between the end of January and mid-February marks the Lunar New Year — a highly anticipated celebration for many Asian cultures that signifies a new year’s beginning and spring’s arrival.

 “Lunar New Year is one of the globally biggest holidays in the world, and is especially celebrated in China, Korea and many Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam,” said professor Jenny Banh, coordinator of the Asian American Studies program. “It is about the harvest and there are family reunions, foodways and red envelopes filled with cash that are shared. It is like Christmas combined with Thanksgiving, for 15 days with a lot of great traditional dress.” 

This occurs because of the lunisolar calendar, which rotates the Chinese zodiac’s 12-year cycle together with the 10 heavenly stems, five worldly elements aligning with yin and yang.

The Year of the Snake has come to an end, and this brings forth one of the most dynamic shifts in energy in the Lunar calendar. 

This transition comes at the end of a nine-year cycle in the calendar, closing a year that represents introspection and patience. As the sun sets on the Snake, we are meant to shed everything we no longer need to make space for this year — and for the first time in 60 years, we have entered the rare Year of the Fire Horse.

Yang fire, which is said to bring momentum and transformation, is met this year with the Horse’s symbolizations of strength, determination and forward movement. Joanne Lai, the president of the Central California Asian Pacific Women (CCAPW) organization, said that together, the Fire Horse embodies bold spirit and dynamic change, inviting a year of action rooted in conviction.

“This year feels like a continuation of steady growth within our community,” Lai said. “We are building stronger networks, expanding leadership pathways and deepening cultural pride, while honoring our roots.”

For Lai and many others in CCAPW, Lunar New Year is more than just a festive holiday. Intertwined with deepening family and community bonds, it carries stories of migration, resilience and hope.

“It marks not only the beginning of a new year, but a return to family, gratitude for those who came before us and intentions for collective prosperity,” Lai said. “For immigrant communities especially, it has been a way to preserve identity and continuity in the face of displacement and exclusion.”

In regards to today’s social and political climate, Banh says we can interpret the Horse symbolically through independence and loyalty in a time of passion and growth.

Banh explained that the Fire Horse represents speed, freedom and strength.

“It means bold action,” Banh said. “So students need to make a confident move forward. It is intense growth, but you need to also be careful as it can be volatile.”

For students like myself finishing up their last semester before graduation, a confident move forward may be just what we need.

I doubt I’m the only senior in college right now dealing with graduation anxiety and the fear of the unknown after finishing school. But looking to the Fire Horse for assurance, I feel ready to run towards this freedom with energy and enthusiasm. I’ve shed my fear and left it in the Year of the Snake behind us.

This will be a year of movement, action and new beginnings.