Today marks the first day of the Lunar New Year, with over a billion people worldwide welcoming in the Year of the Wooden Horse.
Celebrated by the Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese and other countries with large Asian communities, what is known as the Spring Festival is the most important holiday on the calender and is the time to rid bad luck in order to welcome in the good.
Lunar New Year celebrated in Australia
Associated with several myths, regional customs and traditions, the Lunar New Year is a 15-day celebration centering around food and family, designed to attract luck and fortune.
With this year's zodiac sign the same as the year's designated animal, it is believed those born under the wooden horse zodiac will have a mixed year.
While they are said to be stable, adventurous and extremely energetic, this year will present some difficulties for those who claim the horse, including famous names such as Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand and John Travolta.
According to Chinese philosophy, the Year of the Horse deals with fire, wood and energy elements promising a year of success for fire element industries, such as oil and gas, airlines and restaurants, but also predicts a year of conflict, market fluctuations and natural disasters.
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The Lunar New Year dates back to 2600 BC when Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese Zodiac.
The Chinese zodiac calender follows a 12-year lunar cycle, with each year attributed to an animal associated with one of the five elements - earth, fire, water, metal and wood.
Welcome to the year 4712!
For more on the Lunar New Year, visit the SBS Lunar New Year page.
