Happy Lunar New Year and a solar eclipse on Fat Tuesday/Paczki Day!

So long Year of the Wood Snake! Welcome, Year of the Fire Horse! Watch ABC News (Australia)'s Lunar New Year 2026: The Year of the Horse explained.

It's time to say goodbye to the Year of the Snake and hello to the Year of the Horse. What do you know about the Year of the Horse? 0:00 Kai Feng, reporter for ABC Chinese, explains the significance of the horse in Chinese culture and history, 0:49 why 2026 is a 'fire' year, 5:10 and how people across Asia celebrate Lunar New Year.

Not only did ABC News (Australia) explain Lunar New Year, it explained the importance of horses to humans. Bonus educational content!

This is a U.S.-based blog, so I usually include how people celebrate the holiday here. Instead of a Disney parks video, I have two shorts on my YouTube channel that do just that, beginning with Lion Dance at Hudson Yards for Lunar New Year 2026 2/7/2026.

Lion Dance at Hudson Yards for #LunarNewYear2026 2/7/2026
#nyc #lunarnewyear
https://www.twitch.tv/aprylanonymous

I couldn't resist the lions unfurling the banner of the New York Chinese Cultural Center as a finale.

Next, Ribbon Dance at Hudson Yards for #LunarNewYear2026 2/7/2026.

Ribbon Dance at Hudson Yards for #LunarNewYear2026 2/7/2026
#nyc #lunarnewyear
https://www.twitch.tv/aprylanonymous

That's more culture than I'm used to seeing in a mall!

Follow over the jump for Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday and a solar eclipse.

MLive shared The history of Paczki Day in Michigan last year. Better late than never!

It might be Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday in other parts of the country, but in Michigan it's Paczki Day. Here's how the pre-Lent Polish tradition got started.

Here's to not succumbing to temptation today. I'm a diabetic, so packzi are extra unhealthy for me.

I conclude with Accuweather's Ring of Fire: The 2026 Solar Eclipse You Will Miss.

Good news: There is an annular Solar Eclipse this year!

Bad news: You probably won't be in a good spot to see it. Anna Azallion explains.

No, I wouldn't travel to Antarctica just to view an eclipse. I don't know if I'd go to Spain to watch one there, even if Broken Peach performs!

Enough of this year's festivities. It's time to conclude this post with the generic greetings I've recycled many times over.

Mandarin: Gong Xi Fa Cai/Xin Nian Kuai Le

Cantonese: Kung Hei Fat Choi

Hokkien (Fujian/Taiwanese): Kiong Hee Huat Tsai/Sin Ni khòai lok

Simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财 新年快乐

Traditional Chinese: 恭喜發財 新年快樂