OUSD Celebrates Lunar New Year 2026: Year of the Horse

This week, we join millions around the world, and thousands right here in OUSD and across the Oakland community, in welcoming the Lunar New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Horse (Bing-Wu/Fire Horse).

In many traditions, the Horse symbolizes energy, courage, and forward motion, qualities deeply woven into Oakland’s history. Oakland’s Chinatown, one of the oldest in the nation, stands as a testament to resilience. It was shaped by a community that endured displacement and natural disasters, becoming the vibrant cultural hub it is today. That same spirit lives on in the Vietnamese, Mien, Cambodian, Laotian, Tibetan, Mongolian, and many other communities who have helped shape our city into a place of enduring cultural richness.

A Mosaic of Traditions

One of OUSD’s greatest strengths is our diversity, and this important holiday is celebrated across more than a dozen cultures in meaningful ways, including:

Chinese (Spring Festival): Reunion dinners, firecrackers to ward off bad luck, and the exchange of hongbao (red envelopes).

Vietnamese (Tết Nguyên Đán): Peach blossoms and yellow apricot flowers decorate homes as families share bánh chưng to honor ancestors.

Korean (Seollal): Ancestral rites (charye), traditional games like yutnori, and tteokguk (rice cake soup), symbolizing growth and wisdom.

Iu Mien: Intricate embroidery, silver jewelry, and cultural festivals honoring ancestors and the spirits of the land.

Tibetan (Losar) & Mongolian (Tsagaan Sar): White foods symbolizing purity and renewal, and the exchange of khata (ceremonial scarves).

Spotlight: Redwood Heights Elementary

Tuesday morning, Redwood Heights Elementary hosted its Annual Lunar New Year Celebration, organized by the school’s AAPI Committee in partnership with Principal Cynthia Bagby.

The prestigious Yau Kung Moon Association, a martial arts organization with deep roots in the Bay Area, brought the Lion Dance to campus. The performance excited the assembly before the lions moved through the hallways, greeting students and receiving red envelope offerings, filling the school with rhythm, color, and joy.

Celebrating Across the District

Throughout the month, we’ll be sharing additional highlights from across the District. Follow us on social media to see how students and staff are learning about and celebrating the many cultures that make up our OUSD community.

However you are celebrating, we wish our students, staff, and families a year filled with vitality, opportunity, and connection.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!
Saehae Bok Mani Badeuseyo!
Losar Tashi Delek!