Chinese New Year Lantern Festival 2026 Lights Up Patan Museum

The “Chinese New Year Lantern Festival 2026” was celebrated at Patan Museum in Mangalbazar, Lalitpur, on Tuesday, February 17, as the Chinese community welcomed the Year of the Horse, succeeding the Year of the Snake. 

The event featured cultural programmes that showcased the richness of Chinese heritage.

This year marks the Year of the Fire Horse, a unique combination in the Chinese zodiac that pairs one of the 12 zodiac animals with one of the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The zodiac follows a 12-year cycle in the order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

Also called the spring festival, it triggers the world’s largest annual human migration, known as Chunyun, as millions travel across China for family reunions, according to international media reports.The Lantern Festival was jointly organised by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nepal and the Lalitpur Metropolitan City, with the Nepal Overseas Chinese Association and the China Cultural Center in Nepal as co-organisers.

Organised as a confluence of light, culture, and tradition, the Lantern Festival aims to strengthen cultural exchange and deepen ties between Nepal and China. 

The event was attended by Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming, Lalitpur Mayor Chiri Babu Maharjan, and Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Anil Kumar Sinha, who served as the chief guest.

Following the inauguration, the Lantern Festival exhibition will be open to the public for free from February 18 to March 3, organisers said.