Chinese New Year: history, challenges and constraints

30 January 2026

With the New Year celebrations only just behind us, Chinese New Year will take place from 17 February to 3 March. But what exactly is being celebrated during this period? Alongside some background information, we will of course also explain what you should factor into your planning, both during and around this week.

Chinese New Year: traditions and history

Each year, we inform you about the logistical challenges during and around Chinese New Year. However, what is actually being celebrated often goes unexplained. This time, we take a closer look at the history and traditions of one of the world’s largest celebrations.

* 2026 – the Year of the Fire Horse

Chinese people celebrate Chinese New Year for two full weeks, from Tuesday 17 February to Tuesday 3 March. During this period, one animal from the Chinese zodiac takes centre stage. 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, a year that symbolises strength and movement.

* Family visits and traditional dishes

During this period, people in China traditionally visit their families and loved ones. For many, this is the only time of year when families are able to travel to see one another, and the celebrations therefore feature an abundance of traditional dishes such as steamed cake niangao in the south and Chinese dumplings jiaozi north of the Yangtze River.

* Why is everything red?

In Chinese mythology, there was a man-eating beast known as Nian, who hunted children at the beginning of each calendar year. It was later discovered that Nian was afraid of the colour red as well as loud noises. Since then, the colour red has symbolised “good fortune” and explains the abundance of red lanterns, red decorations, red envelopes filled with money and, of course, fireworks.

Constraints and challenges for your planning

After this brief history lesson, let’s return to what this means for your logistics processes. There are indications that some factories may close as early as the end of January. We therefore advise you to stay in close contact with your suppliers regarding shipments that are ready just before or just after the celebrations.

Traditionally, this period is extremely busy, so it is advisable to complete your production processes well in advance. This also gives your supplier more time to secure a carrier that can deliver the cargo before the vessel closing.

After Chinese New Year, cargo volumes are typically low. For this reason, shipping lines often cancel a number of sailings. This measure is intended to reduce delays and improve the reliability of the remaining sailing schedules. From early March onwards, please factor in blank sailings and increased freight rates due to limited capacity.

Clear oversight of your planning with the free Business Public Holidays Calendar

Would you like to gain—and retain—a clear oversight of your planning? Then download our free Business Public Holidays Calendar 2026.

This will quickly show you when each production country observes a public holiday. Prefer to integrate it into your Outlook calendar? We’ve thought of that too. You can access the calendar via the link below: Free download: Business Public Holidays Calendar 2026 | Freight forwarder Ritra Cargo