Lunar New Year Rituals: Good Luck for the Year Ahead
Lunar New Year 2027 is Saturday, February 6, the start of the Year of the Fire Goat. The classic good-luck rituals: clean your home before the day, wear red, share a big meal with the people you love, give red envelopes, and don't sweep on New Year's Day. Then write your wishes for the year under the new moon.
Key takeaways
Lunar New Year 2027 is February 6. New Year's Eve, the night of the reunion dinner, is February 5.
It starts the Year of the Goat, with the Fire element. Korea's Seollal and Vietnam's Tết fall on the same days.
Clean before, not on the day. Sweeping on New Year's Day is said to sweep the luck away.
The day always falls on a new moon, so it is a perfect night to write your wishes for the year.
When is Lunar New Year 2027?
Lunar New Year 2027 is Saturday, February 6. The night before, February 5, is New Year's Eve, the big family dinner. The celebration runs for 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival on February 20, 2027.
The date moves every year because it follows the moon. It usually lands on the second new moon after the winter solstice, somewhere between January 21 and February 20.
Why Lunar New Year is a fresh start
Lunar New Year is the biggest fresh start in much of Asia. Homes are cleaned, debts are settled, new clothes come out, and families say the luckiest words they know to each other.
You are always sending a signal, and the universe sends back what you send. That is the spirit of every Lunar New Year custom: start the year the way you want it to go. Clean, generous, together, full of good words. And since the day falls on a new moon, it is also the start of a new moon cycle.
How to welcome Lunar New Year, step by step
- 🧹
Clean before the day
In the days before, clean your home from top to bottom. Clear out what you don't need. Make room for the new year.
- 🧧
Get your red ready
Lay out something red to wear and fill a few red envelopes for the people you love.
- 🥟
Share the New Year's Eve dinner
On February 5, share a meal with family or friends. Add a lucky food: dumplings, fish, noodles or oranges.
- ✍️
Write your wishes on red paper
Write your wishes for the year as if they are already true. Read them out loud and keep the page.
- 🏮
Keep the luck in on the day
On February 6, wear red, say kind words and don't sweep. Let the luck settle into your home.
Lunar New Year rituals for good luck
**Clean before the day.** In the days before, give your home a deep clean to clear out the old year. Here is how to cleanse your home with intention.
**Wear red.** Red is the color of luck and joy. Wear something red on the day, even a small thing.
**Give and get red envelopes.** Red envelopes with a little money inside are given to children and loved ones. It is a wish for a good year, passed hand to hand.
**Share the reunion dinner.** New Year's Eve is for family and the people you love. Being together is the luck.
**Say lucky words.** Greet people with good wishes and keep your words kind. What you say on the first day sets the tone.
Lucky foods for Lunar New Year
Many dishes are eaten for their lucky meaning. Dumplings are shaped like old gold ingots. A whole fish is served because the word for fish sounds like the word for "surplus", and a little is left over on purpose. Long noodles stand for a long life. Oranges and tangerines are given because their names sound like luck and gold. Sweet rice cakes stand for rising higher each year.
What not to do on Lunar New Year
On New Year's Day, many people don't sweep, take out the trash or wash their hair, so the luck stays in. Avoid breaking things and saying sad or angry words. Don't start the year in debt if you can help it. And don't spend the day worrying about the year ahead: spend it saying what you want it to be.
A wish ritual for Lunar New Year
On New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, write your wishes for the year on red paper, as if they are already true: "This is my year of love and ease." Read them out loud, fold the paper and keep it with your red envelope or in your wallet. Since the day is a new moon, you can use the new moon ritual as your guide.
Tips for a lucky Lunar New Year
Plan the rest of your year
Lunar New Year opens a whole year of special dates. See them all in this ritual calendar for 2027.
Pair it with an abundance ritual
Lunar New Year is a favorite time for luck and plenty. Pick one of these abundance rituals to add on the day.
Ask about your family's customs
Every family and every country does it a bit differently. Ask an elder what they did growing up.
Did January not go to plan?
Lunar New Year is a second fresh start. Bring back the wishes from your New Year's Eve ritual and start again.
Keep the Lantern Festival
On February 20, the 15th day, light a lantern or a candle and read your wishes again to close the season.
Lunar New Year rituals: frequently asked questions
Saturday, February 6, 2027. New Year's Eve, the night of the reunion dinner, is Friday, February 5. The season ends with the Lantern Festival on February 20, 2027.
