Lunar New Year: Welcoming 2026, the Year of the Horse
As we step into the Year of the Horse, the PKF Australia network reflects on what this powerful zodiac symbol means to us as a national community, one connected by diverse cultures, shared values and the momentum that drives us forward.
In Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean culture, the horse represents strength, determination, energy and forward movement. For a business advisory and accounting network like ours, these qualities mirror what we strive to embody, as we help our clients navigate Australia's evolving business landscape with confidence.
This year, we reached out across the country to gather perspectives from our people with Chinese, Vietnamese or Korean heritage; to understand what Lunar New Year means to them, their families, and their cultural identities.
Reflections from across our network
“To me, Chinese New Year represents the hope for good fortune and prosperity in the coming year, while also preserving cultural identity and long-standing traditions that connect families to their heritage. We normally celebrated with a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, the giving of red envelopes for blessings and luck, and the setting off firecrackers to welcome the new year and drive away bad fortune.” - Rita Yang, Tax, Melbourne
“For my wife and me in Australia, Chinese New Year is a way to stay close to our traditions and our families back in China. We celebrate with a nice dinner together and a video call home to send our wishes.” - John Hu, Business Advisory, Melbourne
“Chinese New Year is a time for me to embrace my culture and spend quality time with family and friends. To me it represents togetherness and an opportunity to welcome good luck into our lives. To celebrate, we cook and eat delicious food together and give hong bao to share good fortune to those around us.”- Fiona Wong, Marketing, Melbourne
“Chinese New Year is a time for me to celebrate my Chinese heritage, while also appreciating the mix of cultures that make up my family. It’s about good food, loud laughs, and starting the year with an abundance of luck and the best vibes. May we all keep it steady and spirited as we gallop into the year of the horse!”- Gwyneth Gwee, Business Advisory, Sydney
“The horses represent strength, passion, and courage for me. The horses can let our hopes gallop forward and let all dreams set sail. It’s a very positive image in our culture.”- Mia Leng, Business Advisory, Sydney
Sharing local traditions and stories
Our Perth team generously shared their experiences by answering a series of questions about Lunar New Year.
How do you celebrate the Lunar New Year?
Rachael Barrie: My family are Malayasian and they moved here in the 1970s when they were still children. When they first arrived here, they struggled to be accepted in school and in society because they are Asian. A lot of traditions were lost during this time to try to fit in with White Australians. Only in the last 30 years have they brought back old traditions as well as introduce new traditions to our family calendar. Now, for LNY I will get together with my family and we will gift each other money in red envelopes and eat “auspicious food”!
Jessica Goh: We have a family dinner on new year’s eve and then it is visiting all the extended relatives on New Year’s day.
What is your favourite part of Lunar New Year celebrations, and why?
Daniel Chan: Visiting extended family overseas/family gatherings.
Rachael Barrie: Tossing the Yee Sang!
Jessica Goh: Seeing all the extended family, we have big families and don’t always see them that much so it’s a good time to catch up.
What would you like others to understand or appreciate about the Lunar New Year and its cultural significance?
Rachael Barrie: Its about inviting abundance, wealth and financial good luck! It’s all about the money!
Do you have any specific traditions you follow for good luck or prosperity during the new year?
Daniel Chan: Doing a deep clean of the house, to remove bad luck from the last year and welcome prosperity for the new year.
Rachael Barrie: We wear red and gold to invite good luck and fortune. We avoid black and white as these are funeral colours and symbolise death. We gift money to each other in red envelopes. The money inside the envelopes should be new notes. We do not borrow money or lend money during this time. We don’t wash our hair, do our laundry or sweep the house as this is thought to wash away your good luck.
Jessica Goh: Wearing red (or similar colours) and red packets.
What does the horse signify, and how does it influence New Year celebrations?
Rachael Barrie: This year in our family, we have a relative who is turning 60 on LNY day, who was born in the year of the horse, so our LNY celebrations will revolve around this particular aunty for her birthday. We normally theme the decorations around the zodiac animal but we don’t look too deep into the meaning of the zodiacs.
What is the symbolic meaning behind the colour red associated with Lunar New Year?
Rachael Barrie: Red is considered lucky for money so you should wear red for LNY, if you want to be prosperous and abundant in the new year. You should avoid black and white as these are funeral colours and considered bad luck/unlucky.
Are there any traditions or rituals that you look forward to during Lunar New Year?
Daniel Chan: Buying new clothes, signifying a fresh start/leaving behind bad luck.
Rachael Barrie: I will make the Yee Sang which is a “Prosperity Salad” full of “auspicious ingredients”, the main ingredients being raw fish (salmon) and pomelo, and will include wonton crackers, radish, carrot, onions, pickles, cabbage… I usually plate the salad in the design of the animal which year we are celebrating. Using chopsticks, we will all toss the Yee Sang to mix the ingredients, while shouting our well-wishes for each other. One of my aunts will also prepare the “Long Life Noodle” dish. You are supposed to eat this dish without breaking the noodles to secure yourself a long life. We also prepare whole fish. Fish is considered an auspicious food. There are usually 2 or 3 whole fish dishes prepared to accommodate my large family. The tradition is the fish head is offered to elders in the family, so usually my eldest aunt will have the first fish head and I will have the second fish head as I am the eldest of the next generation however my cousins will always fight me for it.
What the year of the horse means for PKF Australia
The horse is a reminder of the qualities that help businesses, and people, move confidently into the future:
Strength to navigate uncertainty
Energy to pursue growth
Courage to make meaningful decisions
Momentum to keep progressing, even in challenging conditions
For a national network supporting thousands of Australian and international businesses, these qualities resonate strongly with our mission.
Just as the horse symbolises movement and purpose, we continue to stand beside clients as they evolve, adapt and stride forward.
Moving forward together
Lunar New Year is a celebration of community, family, prosperity and shared hopes for the year to come.
Hearing from our colleagues across Australia reminds us how fortunate we are to be part of a network enriched by different cultures and stories.
To everyone celebrating, we wish you abundance, connection and success as we gallop confidently into the Year of the Horse!🐎
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