Lunar New Year, also referred to as Chinese New Year, follows the cycle of the moon to indicate when a new year is upon us. This time around, it’ll fall on Feb 17th, quite long after the Western new year. So who decided that our year has to change on Jan 1st anyway? It dates back to Rome, where the day was dedicated to the god of gateways, and so the Roman calendar deems it the beginning of a new year.
According to the Chinese Zodiac and the Lunar New Year, 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse. Think energy, motivation, and a general quick-paced nature, all of which I’ve decided I’d feel much more comfortable tackling at a different time of the year.
This year, I’m choosing to ignore the Romans. Australia, for instance, gets the peak of their summer for the holiday; they get to go to the beach and host barbecues the whole day of NYE before midnight. The U.S., on the other hand, celebrates the New Year during what is maybe my most dreaded time of the year.
TikTok, Instagram, and social media in general have a way of pressuring me even more than usual during the New Year. I felt so much stress about one single night, that, realistically, probably has nothing to do with the rest of the year. There isn’t some magic transformation when the clock strikes midnight where the universe physically feels the start of a new year.
We’ve all seen videos telling us that we should eat grapes under the table, which is actually a modern adaptation of a traditionally Spanish superstition where there wasn’t a table involved at all. The trend of wearing different colors of underwear depending on your goals for the next year returns every NYE, and each time I have to look up what each color means like clockwork.
I even made Google Slides with a cute color scheme with my resolutions listed out. Guess what? I haven’t opened it once since I made it on Dec 30th. I feel like I made the list and almost immediately came back to school (thank you quarter system), so my classes and work just took over.
Early January is infamous for its undoubtedly difficult traits; it’s freezing cold, it’s dark at 5 PM, and as I mentioned, it’s the start of winter quarter. I propose the following: we shouldn’t be pressured to transform every facet of my life with “resolutions” during the time of the year when I can’t even get out of bed to go to my morning lecture.
Winter is the time when animals hibernate, and I personally resonate with this concept to a very strong degree. I’ve never understood why being dormant is seen as a negative/unproductive. Movement and energy can’t exist without rest and recovery, although I might just be biased here because of my napping tendencies.
So, I do think the season of winter has potential, just not for a brand new year. There’s a difference between tidying up your current life and starting a whole new life. The colder months are a time to keep your home clean, focus on academics, and keep up to date with all of the admin of life. It could be a perfect period to focus on the mental aspects of resolutions, through brainstorming and manifesting, as opposed to physically acting on them.
I’ve seen some arguments that the U.S.’s New Year comes at the perfect time because it brings something to look forward to in an otherwise depressing period of time. NYE is an easy excuse to get all dressed up, drink, and spend time with friends. In my perfect world, the U.S. could have some holiday at that time of year, just anything with less pressure than New Years.
Spring, in my eyes, is the time for newfound energy. Different cultures and religions believe this too, with the lovely Spring Equinox bringing about many traditions. Nepali New Year won’t be until April 14th this year! Each tradition is different, but they all follow the same general belief of Spring’s “rebirth.” It makes perfect sense for any personal resolutions to be set during the time of rebirth and blossoming.
There must be some internal drive that connects with the rest of the world’s rebirthing. Spring is the time for crops and harvest, and we, as humans, tend to mirror our environments. I see it as unnatural to force a fresh start on us at a time that it’s not supposed to be happening. Year of the Fire Horse doesn’t give me the same vibe as the dead middle of winter.
I always find myself subconsciously motivated as the days get lighter and longer. I recently read a quote that stuck with me, which is to “follow nature, not man.” Following nature’s pattern of temperature and season is much more appealing to me than the man-made calendar year.