Chinese New Year Feb 17, 2026

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. This calendar follows the phases of the moon and the rhythms of the seasons. Red lanterns—like the ones shown in today"s image—are widely associated with the celebration. The holiday falls on the new moon between January 21 and February 20 and has been observed for more than 2,000 years. In 2024, UNESCO added the Spring Festival to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, recognising its cultural and historical importance.

© Gins Wang/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Let the Great Backyard Bird Count begin!
Feb 17, 2024Kailasa temple in Ellora caves
Feb 17, 2025Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Shell-ebrating sea turtles
May 31, 2024Gunnerside, Yorkshire Dales National Park, England
Aug 25, 2023Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
A glowing square of squares
Sep 16, 2024Wallabies at sunrise, Australia
A fox in the dunes
Nov 11, 2024Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
What are they celebrating?
Angry bird, doting dad
So fresh, so clean
Apr 22, 2025Earth Day
Feb 29, 2024Leap Day
Mar 15, 2026Pacific Rim Whale Festival
Dec 27, 2024Lake Bled, Slovenia
Jan 12, 2024Bukhansan National Park, South Korea
Sep 28, 2024Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida, USA
Mar 15, 2024Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, USA
Dec 12, 2023Red poinsettia
Purple bliss as far as the eye can see
May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, USA
Dec 5, 2023Castles in the Bavarian Alps
Colours of spring
Aug 17, 2025Lyngvig Lighthouse, Hvide Sande, Denmark
Nov 1, 2025Bison grazingin Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Sep 15, 2023Udaipur, India
The beauty that lies below
Nov 14, 2025Happy Childrens Day
Sep 30, 2023Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
A city so nice they made it twice
King of the ocean