Lunar New Year begins today, February 17, kicking off the Spring Festival and ushering in the Year of the Horse 🏇 Celebrations are bigger than ever in Las Vegas, where tourism drives our economy and the local Asian population continues to grow.
🌝 What is Lunar New Year All About?
The holiday marks the first new moon of the lunar calendar and traditionally coincides with a spring harvest. The Spring Festival runs for 15 days. In some cultures, a lantern festival takes place on the final night.
🐴 The Importance of Zodiac Signs
The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle of animals. The horse represents confidence, responsibility, and a free spirit.
🧨 Common Traditions
It’s popular to set off fireworks and hang up bright red decorations (or wear red clothing), which according to folklore, scare off an evil sea creature with sharp teeth and horns named Nian. Gifts are exchanged, especially red envelopes filled with money.
The new year also represents a fresh start that follows a deep cleaning of the home. Some even resist taking out the trash, sweeping, or even washing hair for the first five days of the new year to avoid “throwing out” the good fortune that comes with the start of the lunar calendar.
🍜 Holiday Food
It’s common for families to kick off the celebration early with a feast on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which often includes fish, dumplings, and pudding. Savory turnip cakes are also popular in Chinese households.
🤔 Is Lunar New Year the Same Thing as Chinese New Year?
Yes. Well, kinda. While China is the largest country that celebrates the holiday, other nations have their own variations on new year traditions — and sometimes slightly different dates. In Vietnam, the new year is known as Tet. In South Korea, it’s Seollal.
🎊 Celebrating Lunar New Year in Las Vegas
Resorts on and off the Strip are celebrating Lunar New Year with festive decor and lion dances over the next two weeks. The Bellagio’s Year of the Horse display runs through Feb. 28 at the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. You’ll also spot elaborate exhibits at the Venetian, Forum Shops at Caesars, and Fashion Show Las Vegas (with musical lantern shows every 30 minutes, plus a Lunar New Year Festival in the Great Hall on Feb. 22).
Downtown Summerlin has a Lunar New Year parade tonight, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. with floats traveling down Park Centre Drive, the Fremont East district welcomes the CNY in the Desert Festival and Parade Feb. 21, Desert Breeze Park hosts a Spring Festival Feb. 22, and on Feb. 28, you can visit Chinatown Plaza for the Year of the Fire Horse Celebration and Korea Town Plaza for the Lunar New Year Festival. Glowfest, a walk-through light festival, has a Chinese New Year theme through Feb. 22.
Hungry? Genting Palace at Resorts World has a Lunar New Year dim sum brunch for dinner Feb. 20 and both lunch and dinner Feb. 21-22. Tim Ho Wan at the Palms has special dishes (abalaine siu mai, pig feet, and rice cakes) through Feb. 28, and China Mama has special Reunion Feast for large parties through March 3 (with advance notice required) at the original Chinatown location on Jones, the latest one at Palace Station, and Spring by China Mama east of the Strip.
- Celebrating Lunar New Year is one of our top picks for February activities in Las Vegas. [City Cast Las Vegas ✍️]
