the DON JONES INDEX… 

 

GAINS POSTED in GREEN

LOSSES POSTED in RED

 

   2/20/26…   15,631.89

2/27/26…   15,682.68 6/27/13...    15,000.00

 

 

(THE DOW JONES INDEX: 2/20/26... 49,395.16; 2/27/26... 49.451.98; 6/27/13… 15,000.00)

 

LESSON for FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20th, 2026 – “DEATH TAKES a HOLIDAY!”

 

This has been a week of celebrations, retreats, holidays... from the (paid) week’s Congressional vacation while the gumment sleepwalks into Shutdown 3.0 to an ongoing parade of international, national and local festivals ranging from the patriotic to religious, secular to superstitious (and, in the case of the latter three, sometimes all at once as where the decadence of Mardi Gras is succeeded by the sobriety of Lent or, to contrarians, the faith and fasting of Ramadan (a few weeks hence) by the Islamic Eids.

After the (actual) Lincoln’s birthday Thursday, we observed Presidents’ Day weekend, culminating on Monday the 16th – tippitoeing around Friday the Thirteenth into the hearts and flowers of Valentine’s Day on Saturday.  Tuesday was a three-fur among two of the three Biblical-based observationers (Jews themselves waiting for Purim next week) – the severity of Ramadan and, before Lent on Tuesday, licentious Mardi Gras – and, the Chinese New Year (where we said a hopeful goodbye to the Snake and welcomed the Year of the Horse.  The Fire Horse, that is... as Chinese conjoin the twelve day signs with the five elementals to a sixty year cycle: thus, the first such since 1966, a notable year – in many respects.  Washington’s (actual) Birthday, the day after tomorrow, brings closure and reflection – some now even questioning the right of the United States to exist.

It was also a banner week for the reaper... looking back to 1966, we saw the rise of young Jesse Jackson at the side of Martin Luther King during the desegregation marches and riots, there at the Lorraine Motel during his assassination and, after the splitting off from Ralph Abernathy and other civil rightists, his own founding of PUSH (People United to Save Humanity), two Presidential runs and the grooming of innumerable (mostly peaceable) agitors – coupled with dealmakings and alliances even extending to the likes of Alabama’s Governor George Wallace.  Actors Robert (Godfather) Duvall, Tom Noonan (“Manhunter”), Bud Cort (“Harold and Maude”) and documentarian Frederick Wiseman also met their maker in the course of human events and... just not to forget... we also kicked off the week with Friday the Thirteenth: disastrous for some, not so bad for others.

So let’s circumanigate the globe – beginning with the beginnings of the Year of the Fire Horse and, after last week’s worries that American crypto deals with the Shiekhs of Arabi and Abu Dhabi Doo might rebound to the benefit of an always-watchful lurker in the shadows, Communist China (Straits Times, Singapore, ATTACHMENT ONE: re-attached from last week’s Lesson)

AI Overviews on the intersection of Chinese New Year, cryptocurrency, and Donald Trump; the unusual lack of a Bitcoin bump during the holiday and the effects of Trump tariffs (ATTACHMENTS TWO and THREE) highlight “the conflict between the administration's pro-crypto stance and the market-jolting effects of trade conflicts with China.” 

Economist Peter Schiff questioned President Donald Trump’s push to make the U.S. the “world capital” of Bitcoin (Yahoo Finance, ATTACHMENT FOUR), arguing that Beijing “couldn’t care less about the leading cryptocurrency.”

“Trump says he believes in crypto and wants to make the U.S. the Bitcoin capital of the world because, if we don't do it, China will. But,” Schiff opined, “Chinese leadership is too smart to care about Bitcoin. While we're wasting capital and resources, they're building factories and buying gold.”

And, after long hard days of building factories and buying gold, the ChiComs are ready to party – which they do as some 1.4 billion people “usher in the Year of the Fire Horse.”  (Al Jazeera, Feb. 17th, ATTACHMENT FIVE)

Known as the Spring Festival in China, the New Year, based on the lunar calendar, “also brings about the world’s largest annual human migration, called Chunyun, as millions travel across the country for family reunions.

“The Year of the Horse, said to bring optimism and opportunity, is following the Year of the Snake, which represented transformation and strategy.”

The Jazzies’ Questions and Answers about the Year of the Horse included descriptions of the feasting, the red envelopes of money, lion dancers and, of course, fireworks.

The Chinese zodiac system repeats every 12 years, each represented by an animal in this order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

The year of one’s birth decides their zodiac sign; meaning, the ones born last year were Snakes, this year’s children would be Horses and next year’s would be Goats.

Further, a “complex mechanism decides how the year will be paired with one of the five elements.

“This year, the element is Bing, or big sun, paired with the Horse. This pairing occurs every 60 years, most recently in 1966.

“For those who believe in the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Fire Horse represents an explosion of energy and independence, with unpredictable realignments.”

The Spring Festival in China is not just cultural but also economically significant, the Jazzies advise, “typically driving a spike in consumption across multiple sectors.

“People spend heavily on food and festive goods, entertainment, and tourism, with retail and e-commerce platforms registering a surge in sales during the pre-holiday period.

“The Chinese government is also expecting a record 9.5 billion passenger trips during the 40-day Spring Festival period, up from nine billion trips last year, as they travel for annual reunions.

“The government has also issued consumer vouchers worth more than 360 million yuan ($52m) this month to boost consumption,” in a country where households save “nearly a third of their income.”

Al Jazz, like several other refences, advised that proximaty to China and the migrant community bolster celebrations all across Asia, as well in locations... even in the USA... where a substantial Chinese population reside.

A fun fact... because the name of the Harry Potter villain, Draco Malfoy, approximates the Mandarin phonetic translation: “ma er fu”. The opening character, ma, signifies “horse” and the closing character, fu, represents “fortune” or “blessing”.

1440 (Feb. 16th, ATTACHMENT SIX) says that people born in horse years are seen as dynamic, courageous, and charismatic. Many see the Year of the Fire Horse as a time to take bold steps, embrace change, and pursue new opportunities. “The last Fire Horse year occurred in 1966; notable births include Adam Sandler, Gordon Ramsay, Halle Berry, and Helena Bonham Carter,” all of whom are celebrating their 60th birthday.

Chinahighlights.com (ATTACHMENT SEVEN) reports that New Year celebrants decorate their homes in red “an auspicious color for the Lunar New Year, denoting prosperity and energy — which ward off evil spirits and negativity. Red lanterns hang in streets; red couplets and New Year pictures are pasted on doors.”

The infamous red envelopes of money are called ya sui qian (压岁钱 /yaa sway chyen/), “which means 'suppressing Sui [the demon]money'. Those who receive a red envelope are wished another safe and peaceful year.”

A chart for notable occasions and occupations for the New Year can be found here.

According to Chinahighlights.com, “legend states that the Chinese New Year stemmed from an ancient battle against the Nian (/nyen/, which sounds the same as 'year' in Chinese), a terrifying beast that showed up every Lunar New Year's Eve to eat people and livestock. To scare away the monster, people displayed red paper, burned bamboo, lit candles, and wore red clothes. These traditions have been continued until the present time.”

Horses, especially fire horses, are explained by the cowboys at the Austin American Statesman (ATTACHMENT EIGHT) who say that Horse years are believed to bring forth rapid change and growth, “...travel, big life decisions, creativity and confidence.”

The BBC (ATTACHMENT NINE) takes notice of a less attractive facet of the holiday... the authorities’ annua crackdown on what they deem antisocial content. “This year that includes posts celebrating the virtue of not having children” in a country where population stagnation has resulted in an aging workforce.

They also reported on Q&A’s such as why there is no Year of the Cat (it was sabotaged by the Rat) and wellness practices (like warm, apple-boiled water, martial arts and “longevity exercises”; variations in Vietnam (Tet), Myanmar, Indonesia and anecdotes about rowdy celebrations... often practiced by university students.

Superstition and prophecy, including predestination based on one’s animal sign, were reported in CNN’s roster of predictions.   (ATTACHMENT TEN)

Thierry Chow, a Hong Kong-based feng shui consultant who blends traditional Chinese geomancy with modern elements told CNN that, in this Fire Horse year, “...(industries) associated with the fire category will dominate — from technology to anything that generates energy and fire. Arts, fashion and cooking also rely heavily on fire. You can expect these sectors to get more attention.”

Chow also said that fire influence is going to impact both the weather and people’s temperaments — “so the world should be on the lookout for more heat-related disasters this year, as well as heightened tensions in already heated relationships.”

She also noted aspects of the signs... GOATS, next up, will have a Guiren (Noble People) star on their path this year, which means they will have helpful friends and build strong connections,” says Chow – while MONKEYS’ year will “be relatively stable and peaceful.”

ROOSTERs will have to beware, especially in romance... DOGS can expect wealth and, after a bad 2025, PIGS will enjoy some peace.  RATS may experience health problems, OXEN will be prone to small injuries and petty people and TIGERS will find “good unions, of all sorts.”  RABBITS, like Roosters, will have to be wary in love, DRAGONS will have to beware of digestion issues and SNAKES should “travel to cooler places with oceans and rivers to counter some of that heat,” adds Chow.

The Los Angeles Times (ATTACHMENT ELEVEN) say the Year of the Fire Horse will be “a time to challenge authority. as Horses “are known for being tireless and driven.”  They also “crave freedom and independence. They’re hard-working, action-oriented and instinctual, and they tend to learn by doing. But if they go down a path that isn’t working, they’re quick to pivot. This makes them flexible, adaptable and forgiving. But they can also be challenging for people — especially authority figures — who are trying to pin them down.”

“The last Year of the Fire Horse year was 1966. The Vietnam War was escalating. The civil rights movement was at a crossroads. The Black Panther Party was founded. And the year marked the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in China.

“If 1966 is any blueprint, we can expect a breakdown of long-accepted hierarchies and systems of authority,” according to astrologer Laura Lau.

 

The National Post of Canada, in conjunction with reporters from Bloomberg, contend that Chinese support for Russia’s war with Ukraine is strong, and deepening.

President Xi Jinping has become more assertive and confident in his supporting Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and attempts by the Europeans to persuade their Chinese counterparts to help end the war have become more challenging over the past year, unidentified Western officials said.  (ATTACHMENT TWELVE)

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called out China for supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine.

 “Moscow is not acting alone. It is pursuing its revisionist agenda by cooperating with China, Iran, and North Korea,” Pistorius told an audience in Munich on Saturday. “It is trying to use international fora such as BRICS and turn them into anti-Western blocs.”

European leaders have overlooked their misgivings about China’s role in prolonging the war to improve relations with Beijing in the face of trade tensions with US President Donald Trump. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited China for meetings with Xi in recent weeks, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is due in Beijing later this month. Trump is also expected to meet Xi in China in April.

And, as China’s relationships with the United States remain hostile, their ostensible “friends” in the Soviet... well, Russia, at least... have a long history of interference and oppression.

During the Opium Wars of the 1850s. Tsarist Russia came to the “rescue” and presented itself as a diplomatic intermediary offering to help China with the European imperial powers,” according to Konrad Zzatters of The Diplomat (ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN).  However, in practice, Russia de facto supported the U.K. and France in forcing the Qing dynasty to make significant concessions culminating in the “unequal” Treaties of Aigun (1858) and Peking (1860). Under these documents, vast parts of the Chinese Manchuria were transferred to Tsarist Russia, effectively securing Russian access to the Pacific coastline and transferring the city now known as Vladivostok into Russian’s hands.

“Tsarist Russia’s blindsiding actions during the Opium Wars period thus laid the groundwork for a perception of Russia as a power willing to exploit China’s vulnerability while simultaneously portraying itself as a friendly, stabilizing, or even protective force.”

A history of Russo-Chinese relations from the Bolshevik revolution to the ascension of Mao Zedong augurs that, while Beijing has “clear incentives to cooperate with Moscow, particularly in balancing and countering the U.S. influence and challenging aspects of the existing Western-led international order. Yet this cooperation remains cautious and carefully calibrated.”

History shows, however, that alliances built solely on interests are fragile by definition, Szatters concludes, and in the end, interests may change, even overnight. “In the case of China-Russia relations, the question is not whether such a change will occur, but rather when. Although the timing is uncertain, one thing seems clear: the “no-limits” partnership does have its limits, even if they have yet to fully reveal themselves.”

 

Tuesday’s trifecta of Chinese New Year, Ramadan and Mardi Gras only shows that, while Russia kills and China schemes, Americans are partying.

The AI Overview (ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN) describes some of the leading parades sponsored by Krewes... followers... in New Orleans, as well as other cities in Louisiana, Alabama and around the world.

1440 (ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN) called New Orleans “the US epicenter for festivities, drawing roughly 1 million visitors and generating around $900M in economic impact (although Mobile, Alabama, claim(ed) the first American Mardi Gras in 1703).

Mardi Gras evolved from ancient Roman festivals into a global event, from Rio de Janeiro's samba parades to Venice's masked balls,” 1440 noted... see photos here and here. 

People.com (February 17, ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN) profiled the holiday last... go figure... Tuesday, noting its aliases: Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday and Carnival Tuesday (after the Latin words carnem lavare “take away the flesh”), marks a period of indulging in a final bout of merriment, “casting sins from the flesh and preparing the spirit for Lent.”  After Charistianity, the Roman Carnivals began on Jan. 6 and ended with Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday.

“The week leading up to Lent is known as Shrovetide, and the last day of Shrovetide is Shrove Tuesday. During Shrovetide, Christians go to confession to be absolved of their sins, or to be shriven before Lent begins.”

British Catholic celebrants call it “Pancake Tuesday” because preparing for Lent includes making pancakes to use up their stores of eggs, milk, butter and other foods forbidden during the 40-day abstinence period. Observed similarly in France, Mardi Gras celebrators make waffles and crepes as part of their feasts.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF FAT TUESDAY?

According to historians, Fat Tuesday dates back thousands of years to ancient Roman times.

“It was originally observed in honor of harvest season, but once Christianity began spreading throughout Europe, the holiday was appropriated from the original pagan tradition into a time of indulgence before Lent.

“Though deeply rooted in religion, the holiday was celebrated similarly as it is today — with partying, feasting, masquerading and dancing.

“Fat Tuesday is now a global holiday,” People relates. “with European colonizers having brought their traditions to their occupied lands.”

Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, History Correspondent for the Smithsonian, February 21, 2023 (ATTACHMENT SEVENTEEN) described one such instance of cultural appropriation (for the trolls) or conjunction: the Mardi Gras “Indians”... who were not even from New or old Delhi and whose links to the native Louisianans were marked by slavery, assimilation and love of a good time.

Dressed in handcrafted, Native American-inspired “suits,” participants chant and sing call-and-response songs, punctuating these vocals with the sounds of tambourines, cowbells, drums and other percussion instruments. The energy in the air is electric, whether the Indians are dancing or staging friendly competitions with rival “tribes,” as the dozens of social groups are known.

Despite its name, the Mardi Gras Indian tradition is a distinctly African American one (a fact that has sparked questions of whether the moniker is appropriate and, more broadly, if the practice is a form of cultural appropriation),” Boyanton wrote. “The most popular theory suggests its roots stretch back to the late 19th century, when Black New Orleanians started dressing up as Native Americans to pay homage to the Indigenous people who’d helped them escape from slavery and survive in the Louisiana wilderness. But the Indians’ exact origins are the subject of debate, as much of the relevant history was passed down orally.

“For much of their existence, the Indians were an insular, secretive and loosely defined coalition known chiefly to the Black community. While the tribes have entered the public eye in recent decades, they still keep some secrets to themselves.”

According to Boyanton, scholars generally agree that the Mardi Gras Indian tradition is linked to early encounters between the region’s Native and Black communities. “Founded by the French in 1718, the city of New Orleans stands on land originally inhabited by the Chitimacha Tribe. As early as 1719, European colonizers brought enslaved people from the western coast of Africa to the nascent port city, which eventually became a hub of the United States slave trade.  While Africans made up the majority of enslaved people in Louisiana, research conducted by Leila K. Blackbird, a historian at the University of Chicago, found that Native and mixed-race people of Black and Native heritage constituted 20 percent of the state’s enslaved population during the antebellum period.”

Other sources and theories on the blending of African and Indigenous traditions noted in the Smithsonian include escaped slaves sought and found shelter in Choctaw, Seminole and Chickasaw villages, according to  Jeroen Dewulf, an expert on European studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and another Berkeleyite, literary scholar Bryan Wagner, who dates the history of the Carnival “krewes” back into the into the 16th century and the Kongo Kingdom while political control of the region fluctuated between France, Spain, England and, until the Civil War, the American Confederacy.

Melissa A. Weber, a curator at Tulane University Special Collections, attributes the music of New Orleans as “setting the tone for all of American popular music” up to Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton and R&B group the Neville Brothers – whom she names as among the famous musicians who have masked as Mardi Gras Indians.

Big Chief Derrick Hulin (also known as Big Chief Uptown) of the Golden Blades was first drawn to the Mardi Gras Indians as a child when he heard a recording by the Wild Magnolias. Captivated by a white suit on the album’s cover, he says, “I just got bit by the bug.”

Born and raised in the 17th Ward’s Hollygrove neighborhood, Hulin has now masked for almost 30 years. His tribe was established in the 1930s and is among New Orleans’ oldest.

“Are the Mardi Gras Indians best defined as a community, a tradition, a brotherhood and sisterhood, or an example of living history?” asks Boyanton.

 “All of the above,” Hulin says. “Even if I don’t mask, I still see myself with this for the rest of my life.”

Mardi Gras made its way to North America with French explorers, wrote Ridha Mirza in “Quo Vadis” (March 5, 2025 – ATTACHMENT EIGHTEEN), the first being French-Canadian explorer Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, who arrived at a plot of land near present-day New Orleans and named it "Pointe du Mardi Gras" in 1699 because it was the holiday’s eve. “In 1718, New Orleans was founded, and the traditions of festivities began to take root in the city. Early celebrations were modest, marked by masked balls and small gatherings. However, by the mid-18th century, the festivities grew in scale and popularity,” until the first recorded Mardi Gras parade in 1837.

Before the “Golden Blades” (above), the Mistick Krewe of Comus, founded in 1856, was the first such organization and set the standard for elaborate floats and masked riders. In 1872, the Krewe of Rex introduced the official Mardi Gras colors – purple, green, and gold – symbolizing justice, faith, and power, respectively.

Today, Mardi Gras 2026 parties on with a parade schedule listed in USA Today (Feb. 16th, ATTACHMENT NINETEEN) concluding with its Fat Tuesday – with authors Saman Shafiq and Gabe Hauari citing pagan spring and fertility rites in medieval Europe, according to History.com and then coming with French Canadians to Mobile, Alabama (not New Orleans).

USA listed the parade sites and Krewe celebrations on Monday and Tuesday.

“Sin before you repent,” Greg Garrison reported (some) Catholics contending in AL.com. (ATTACHMENT TWENTY)

“For some Catholics, Mardi Gras is an embarrassment,” writes Shaun McAfee on the website Catholicexchange.com. “The beads, the excess, the headlines, and the image of immorality have convinced some that the entire celebration is little more than a secular bacchanal—at best a distraction from Lent, at worst an outright contradiction of it.”

McAfee, author of “I’m Catholic. Now What?” notes that many Catholics are ashamed Mardi Gras has gone too far.

“How,” the objection goes, “can a Catholic possibly defend a festival that appears to glorify indulgence immediately before a season of penance?” McAfee writes.

“The question is understandable,” he said. “But it is also historically thin and theologically incomplete. When properly understood, Mardi Gras—and its counterparts across the Christian world—belongs not to pagan excess but to a deeply Catholic understanding of the human person, time, and discipline.”

“The problem is not that the Church forgot how to fast,” McAfee writes. “It is that modern culture forgot how to feast.”

“In a pre-industrial world, Lent meant real deprivation: no meat, no dairy, no eggs, and often fewer meals,” McAfee writes. “Mardi Gras existed to use up what could not be eaten during the fast and to mark, clearly and communally, the transition into penitential time.”

“One of the most persistent misconceptions about Mardi Gras is that it somehow undermines Lent,” McAfee writes. “In reality, it only makes sense because Lent exists.

“Christian asceticism has never meant the rejection of pleasure as such. Rather, it is about ordering pleasure correctly. The same Church that calls for fasting also commands feasting. We fast on Good Friday; we feast on Easter Sunday. We kneel in penance during Lent; we sing Alleluia for fifty days after Easter. This is not hypocrisy—it is theology.”

For those who fast and repent, Mardi Gras and Lent have the most meaning, he said.

“Historically, Mardi Gras worked precisely because Lent followed it immediately and uncompromisingly,” McAfee writes.

 

And on Wednesday, Ash Wednesday concluded the rare hedonistic coincidence of Mardi Gras, Ramadan and the start of the Lunar New Year (notably celebrated by Chinese).

Mardi Gras and Lunar New Year have overlapped nine times since 1947, according to CT Insider (via Yahoo), the last time being in 2002. Ramadan 2002 began in November, so it could not have coincided with Lunar New Year and Mardi Gras. “The confluence of all three celebrations is a unique occurrence,” noted the Akron (Oh) Beacon Journal (Feb. 17th, ATTACHMENT TWENTY ONE)

 

Ramadan, the Islamic month of prayer and fasting… nearer Lent than Mardi Gras (except that fasting takes place only during the daytime, the party commences at sundown.  (USA Today ATTACHMENT TWENTY TWO)  It closes with Eid al-Fitr, the major holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world to signify the breaking of the fast.

This year, Eid al-Fitr is expected to be on March 19 or 20 depending on the sighting of the moon.

Because the Islamic Calendar follows a lunar cycle, exact dates can change slightly depending on moon sightings.

Many Muslims follow guidance set by moon sighting committees in Middle Eastern countries. In Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, officials have called for those sighting the moon to gather on Tuesday, Feb. 17, meaning the start of Ramadan could be declared for either Feb. 18 or 19.

Gulf News (Friday, Feb. 13th: ATTACHMENT TWENTY THREE) describes some of the lunar calculations that set the date and time of Ramadan and Eid.  They confirmed official commencements in Oman, Turkey and Singapore as also non-Islamic nations from Austalia to France where the new moon conjoins at 1:01 PM, leading to “the traditional Night of Doubt, (which) will be observed on February 17 at 6 pm (local time) at the Great Mosque of Paris, where a religious commission will review lunar observations and calculations before final confirmation. Chems-eddine Hafiz, Rector of the mosque, emphasised that the practice is preserved “for the unity of Muslims.”

The Independent U.K, (Tuesday, ATTACHMENT TWENTY FOUR) advised some British (and other) nonbelievers as to the proper way to greet Muslims… “by saying ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ or ‘Ramadan Kareem’ “.

Minnesota Public Radio (Monday, ATTACHMENT TWENTY FIVE) reported that, in America, ICE displayed another way to celebrate… raiding mosques…

Even with news of federal agents leaving Minnesota, Imam Hassan Jama, who leads Alhikma Islamic Center in south Minneapolis says “there is a lot of uncertainty about what that means for the safety of some members of the Somali community” who will be celebrating Ramadan.

“We will like to have our normal life with no fear, with no carrying our passports with no thinking if I go to the mosque, maybe I got stopped, maybe I get detained,” said Jama.

Also in the holiday spirit, the Times of Israel (ATTACHMENT TWENTY SIX) says the Israeli military has begun an operation across the West Bank aimed at arresting Palestinians “advancing incitement and terror on social media.”

“In preparation for the blessed month of Ramadan, and as a step to ensure security and stability and combat terrorism, IDF troops have in recent days begun an operation across Judea and Samaria against elements advancing incitement and terror on social media networks,” says Lt. Col. Ella Waweya, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokeswoman, in a statement.

She says the operation is expected to continue throughout Ramadan, which begins tomorrow night and ends in late March.

 

Prior to the three February 17th back to work occasions (which some believe should be celebrated as the government does, more paid time off), we take note of three more occasions... one sinister, one romantic and one patriotic.

 

FRIDAY the THIRTEENTH

Tangle’s Friday the 13th (ATTACHMENT TWENTY SEVEN) reported bad news for Americans after funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed after lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement. Democrats have said that a deal must include a list of reforms to immigration officials’ actions, which Republicans have so far rejected.

Long considered a harbinger of bad luck, an update of the History.com entry on Friday the 13th (Friday, ATTACHMENT TWENTY EIGHT) testified that the day has inspired “a late 19th-century secret society, an early 20th-century novel, a horror film franchise and not one but two unwieldy terms—paraskavedekatriaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia—that describe fear of this supposedly unlucky day.”

While Western cultures have historically associated the number 12 with “completeness (there are 12 days of Christmas, 12 months and zodiac signs, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 gods of Olympus and 12 tribes of Israel, just to name a few examples), its successor 13 has a long history as a sign of bad luck.”

WHY IS FRIDAY THE 13TH UNLUCKY?

“According to biblical tradition, 13 guests attended the Last Supper, held on Maundy Thursday, including Jesus and his 12 apostles (one of whom, Judas, betrayed him). The next day, of course, was Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.”

The seating arrangement at the Last Supper is believed to have given rise to a longstanding Christian superstition that having 13 guests at a table was a bad omen—specifically, that it was courting death—which inspired Captain William Fowler of New York (1827-1897) to either prove or disprove the superstition by founding an exclusive society called the Thirteen Club.

“The group dined regularly on the 13th day of the month in room 13 of the Knickerbocker Cottage, a popular watering hole Fowler owned from 1863 to 1883. Before sitting down for a 13-course dinner, members would pass beneath a ladder and a banner reading “Morituri te Salutamus,” Latin for “Those of us who are about to die salute you.”

Four former U.S. presidents (Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison and Theodore Roosevelt) would join the Thirteen Club’s ranks at one time or another.  Those who follow history in History.com or elsewhere might want to know that all four are now deceased.

“The site also noted the book by Thomas William Lawson, the horror movie franchise featuring “a hockey mask-wearing killer named Jason” and actual historical events, such as the Friday, October 13, 1307, arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar by officers of King Philip IV of France and the subsequent execution of many, “the German bombing of Buckingham Palace (September 1940); the murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York (March 1964); a cyclone that killed more than 300,000 people in Bangladesh (November 1970); the disappearance of a Chilean Air Force plane in the Andes (October 1972); the death of rapper Tupac Shakur (September 1996) and the crash of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy, which killed 30 people (January 2012).”

And just last Saturday... and also in Italy... the black cats and vampire bats of Friday the Thirteenth carried over into Valentines’ Day as the famous rock structure in Italy dubbed "Lovers' Arch" collapsed on Valentine's Day after days of heavy rain and strong winds.

The rock formation at Sant'Andrea in Melendugno, Puglia served as a tourist attraction for wedding proposals and was a popular landmark on the Adriatic coast.

"This is an unwanted Valentine's Day gift", Melendugno Mayor Maurizio Cisternino told local media, as picked up by the BBC (ATTACHMENT TWENTY NINE) as Italian officials suggested that severe weather brought by a storm named Oriana - which has battered southern Italy in recent days - accelerated the rock's erosion, causing its collapse.

Centuries ago, the “blend” of ancient Roman fertility rituals (Lupercalia) and Christian martyrdom, “evolving from a 3rd-century feast honoring Saint Valentine into a romantic, modern celebration” associated with love in the Middle Ages and money, today, in the form of cards, gifts, and candy.

The true identity of St. Valentine is debated, but the BBC speculates that he was likely a 3rd-century priest executed by Emperor Claudius II for secretly marrying lovers, violating a ban on marriage.  (Saturday, ATTACHMENT THIRTY)

History.com elaborated that there were as many as “three different saints” named Valentine or Valentinus who were martyred in the third century A.D.

The Claudian version, above, holds that Claudius Gothicus, deciding that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, outlawed marriage for young men. (ATTACHMENT THIRTY ONE: originally published in 2009, last updated Feb. 6, 2026)

Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to marry couples in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered his execution.

But the Emperor also beheaded St. Valentine of Interamna (modern-day Terni, Italy) for refusing to renounce his faith and converting new followers while still others contend that yet another Valentine might have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured.  This Val, according to legend, actually sent the first “valentine” greeting, himself, “after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailor’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement.”

All these Valentines had their (last) days around A.D. 270 – some theorists alleging that the Christian church might have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia.

“Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders, Romulus and Remus. To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, gathered at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf, or lupa. The priests then sacrificed a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. After, they skinned the goat and made its hide into strips, dipped those into the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women often welcomed the touch of the hides, because they believed it would make them more fertile in the coming year.”

Historical evidence of Lupercalia is spotty, the Historians admit.  “However, we know the popular festival was observed for more than a thousand years. It became increasingly violent as time passed, drawing criticism from the likes of Cicero and some Christian leaders”... surviving the initial rise of Christianity but being outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”—“at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 was St. Valentine’s Day.”

The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration in his c. 1380s poem “The Parliament of Fowls,” writing, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”  The oldest known valentine still in existence today is a poem Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote to his wife in 1415 while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.

Today, according to Hallmark, more than 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas.

But Lisa Bitel and Philip Kosloski in THE CONVERSATION via ALETEIA (2/9/22, ATTACHMENT THIRTY TWO) maintain that there was not one, nor even three but no less than twenty-two lives of canonized saints by the name of Valentine.

“Of these, nine are recorded as bishops, twelve as martyrs, most of the latter were priests; one was an officer in the army of Maximian and died at Ravenna. They are of all nationalities, Italians, French, Spaniards, Germans and Belgians.

“Five of the St Valentines have their feasts assigned upon the 14th of February another occurs on February 12th” in what the Conversationers called “one of the strangest days in Western culture.”

And since there was doubt as to which St. Valentine was celebrated on February 14, his name was subsequently removed from the universal Calendar according to the the Second Vatican Council document, Sacrosanctum Concilium.

Some addenda contributed by 1440 (ATTACHMENT THIRTY THREE) include...

how a Boston pharmacist gave us "Kiss Me" candy hearts. (Read)

see a collection of Valentine's Day cards from the last century. (View)

the sprawling supply chains behind cut flowers. (Listen)

"Singles' Day" – created as an alternative to Valentine's Day. (Read)

‘Nothing says love like chemicals’: Valentine’s roses often covered in pesticides, testing finds

Americans plan to spend $87 on their partner, on average, this Valentine's Day, down roughly 44% from last year... and

some of the celebrity couples who exchange extravagant Valentine's Day gifts. 

USA Today (ATTACHMENT THIRTY FOUR) reported that some “girly-pops” are celebrating “Galentine’s Day” – celebrating platonic (wink! wink!) love among female friends and female empowerment.

“So ditch your lovers, pop a bottle of rosé and celebrate the love you have for your besties and the incredible women in your life.”

 

Finally, President’s Day is Sunday but that other President... Abraham Lincoln... passed his 207th birthday last Thursday – perhaps unhappily, given the gumment abandonment of the penny (at least the $5 bill survives, if somewhat diminished by inflation).

 Currently, Lincoln survives as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which was transiting the Arabian Sea about 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast, shot down an Iranian drone “as the unmanned aircraft aggressively approached” said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a US Central Command spokesperson. 

And a Federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore the George Washington slavery exhibit it removed from Philadelphia.  (AP, Feb. 16th, ATTACHMENT THIRTY FIVE)

The removal came in response to a Trump executive order “restoring truth and sanity to American history” at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks. It directed the Interior Department to ensure those sites do not display elements that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”

U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe (a “W” appointee) ruled Monday that all materials must be restored in their original condition

“As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984 now existed, with its motto ‘Ignorance is Strength,’ this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts,” Rufe wrote. “It does not.”

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Philadelphia Democrat, said the community prevailed against an attempt by the Trump administration to “whitewash our history.”

“Philadelphians fought back, and I could not be more proud of how we stood together,” he said.

 

As for the late Jesse Jackson, The Hill (among others) reported that Speaker Mike had ordered his coffin to be evicted from the Capitol.  The given reason was that only former presidents and select former government officials and military honorees to lie in state in the Capitol rotunda – but reporter Emily Brooks noted that other “cultural figures” have lain in honor in the Capitol rotunda in the past, (ATTACHMENT THIRTY SIX) including the Rev. Billy Graham in 2018 (during Trump 1.0), and civil rights leader Rosa Parks lay in 2005.

 

 

 

IN the NEWS: FEBRUARY 13th, 2026 to FEBRUARY 19th, 2026

 

Friday, February 13, 2026

Dow:  50,115.67

If, as some of the believers maintain, money is the Devil’s tool – then the allegedly unluckies of days saw a record financial boom to the Binancials, the cryptozooics, Wall Street, billionaires and fortunate investors with pension plans as the Dow cracked the 50,000 ceiling; the NYSE, NasDaw and other fiscal indices also claiming substantial (if not, to those believers, health) profits.  The numbers crunchers, finally recovering from Shutdown 2.0 reporting that inflation dropped to a near-tolerable 2.3% with prices at the pump falling and the growth in real income (if not equality) outpacing inflation.

   Shutdown 3.0 began as Congress... feet out the door, suitcase in one hand, plane tickets to their favorite resort in the other... passed funding for most gumment agencies except for DHS (which not only manages the migrants, but military pay, FEMA, the Secret Service and airport security checkpoints – not air traffic controllers, however; the politicians being stupidly partisan, but not that stupid).  In the face of public pressure over the ICE-ing of citizen civilians in Minnesota DHS Sec. Tom Homan approximated humanity after replacing the fanatical Gregory Bovino, by withdrawing some of the troops from the Land of One Thousand Lakes – in effect, declating victory while DefSec Hegseth took a slap from Judge Richard Leon, who redlighted his plan to strip cash, rank and honors from Sen. Kelly (D-Az) after another liberal jurist nixed President Trump’s plea to have him tried for treason and executed.

   Djonald (old King Coal) did have better luck in repealing predecessor Barack Hussein Obama’s restrictions on fossil fuel profiteering – Barry telling whomsoever listened that the world would be “less safe and less healthy.”  Oilies gave thumbs up and swaggered off with another trillion in swag; scientists seethed.

 

Saturday, February 14, 2026

Dow:  Closed

  It’s Valentines’ Day.  Inflation may be down, but the price of chocolates is up, mostly due to tariffs. 

   No love lost for aliens. ICEmen... their numbers reduced but rage intensifying... break into Minneapolis home and shoots Venezuelan migrant in front of children, allegedly lying about lethal threat.  “We have to protect law enforcement,” says the President while vacationing Congressthings issue bipartisan condemnation of some of the ICE detention centers holding, even, children (like the double amputee whose medical visa is torn up): House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reiterates donkey demands on defunding, demasking and decloaking defective detectives. 

   SecState Marco (remotely) joins diplos Witkoff and Jared at Munich Security Cnference and says that, in the wake of Venezuela, the world needs more right-wing revolutions.  Human rightists report Putin foe Navalny was murdered in prison by poison from a venomous frog.   “However you want it,” say dictators and dictator-wannabees like the new regime in Caracas.  Talks crawl on: “progress” is reported as regards Gaza, Ukraine and Trump holds off on bombing Iran. 

   EpFiled UAE billionaire Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem and U.K.’s deprinced Andy in more hot oil, as is Hoilywood CEO Casey Wasserman, who sells his agency after recordings of his soliciting GMax for GSex in “a tight leather outfit”, go bacterial - but he’ll remain Chair of the L.A. Summer Olympics in ’28.  Thongworthy!  Winter Olympics in Milan find America trailing Italians in medals as curling brawling breaks out over “touching” the stone.

 

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Dow:  Closed

Police and FBI not marinating in Minnesota are still searching for Nancy Guthrie (Savannah’s 84 year old mom) and displaying gloves and doorbell footage while Good Sams call in tips to 1-800-FBI (our tip: since kidnapping more common in South America, can DNA be matched to databases in the ABC (Argentina, Brazile Colombia)?  Bad Sams exploit the issue to rat out enemies.  Influencers carry caution to outright paranoia to Joneses over allowing seniors to live alone (they shouldn’t do so) and merch security gear.

   It’s Talkshow Sunday.

   Renegade Republican Rep. Massie says AyGee Bondi came to ICE hearings “with a book of insults” but admits, privately, that mistakes were made in Minnesota but insisting no more released EpFiles.  Asked if he supports Bondi, Massie smirks that: “Bondi doesn’t support Bondi.”

   With partisans Brazile and Priebus on vacation, too, the ABC rountablers include GOP strategist Matt Gorman who said Dems DACO’s on Shutdown 2.0 but now have less leverage on 3.0. Sanderisa Faiz Shakur disagrees, saying RINOs in Congress are “peeling off” from Trump, angered over his “impulses”.  New  Yorker’s Susan Glasser and reigning RINO Chris Christie agree that the dismissal of the Kelly treason case fails to reach the significance of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1793. 

   On repeal of Obama’s climate mandates (above), the EPA says Trump’s EO “does not reflet science” while the President reiterates that climate change is a scam.

   Shakur says data centers are gobbling up more and more energy, but Gorman says affordability requires more energy and Christie says Obama “overreached” in the first place.  Glasser says foreigners... mainly Euros... are “turning against America’ because of the issue, but Christie responds that China isn’t concerned about climate change, “so we shouldn’t be either.”

   On “Face the Nation”, double duty Homan defends ICE budget and that detaining humans on “reasonable suspicion” if crimes including illegal migration is not “racial profiling.”  Under Biden’s “open borders”, an 8000% increase in threats against authorities (including throwing rocks and bottles) also justifies masking.

 

Monday, February 16, 2026 

Dow:  50,185.37

It’s President’s Day, and while America sleeps late, troubled UK PM Starmer calls Europe “a sleeping giant” and, as peace talks flounder in Munich and war goes on in Ukraine and Gaza, President Trump promises to create a “Board of Peace” to rebuild Gaza (a variation on his old casino beach plan?) and, after leakers leak over 300 EpFile names (including dead celebrities like Elvis), even Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) says that prosecutions and disclosures will be insufficient “until people go to jail.”

   The week’s legal landscape features old faves like the DoJ suing Harvard for “wokeness”, the Livelies and Camp Mystic lawsuits and newbies like actor Shia LaBoeuf (fighting in the streets during Mardi Gras), whether boneless wings are wings and Summer Heather Worden, ex-wife of NASA astronaut Anne McClain’s lawsuit against her ex- for converting her assets “from outer space.”  Congress calls for investigation of Roblox for enabling pedophiles while Hillary Clinton says she will testify as to her relationship with Jeffy.  (Bill is silent.)

   One Jefficrat, Hyatt CEO Tom Pritzker (cousin of Dem Gov J. B. of Illinois) loses his job as does Goldman Sachs General Counsel Kathy Ruemmler. Others lose their lives: active gunman shoots five, two killed, at youth hockey game in Rhode Islane; random shooter shoots up St. Louis Starbucks, killing beloved figure skating coach; surfer Kurt Van Dyke murdered in Costa Rica robbery.  And Death comes for role model/agitator Jesse Jackson, resting in peace after 84 years... inspiring millionds, including an entire operating room of surgeons at Johns Hopkins hospital.

 

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Dow:  49,533.19

On multi-holiday Super Tuesday (Mardi Gras, Ramada, Chinese Lunar New Year) memorialists cite strange alliances... memorialists cite friendship betweenJackson and George Wallace while “Sixty Minutes” takes note of concurrence between nutritionist David Kessler and HHR RFK Junior on the dangers of processed foods – as cause obesity and malnutrition.  It’s the last show call for Anderson Cooper – retiring in peace after two decade on the job.

   More RIPs, weather related this time (as Trump 2.0 continues calling climate change a scam).  Flooding strikes the Pacific Coast (which could welcome the rain but not all at once).. Landslides and swollen rivers sweep away cars, in mountains further east – 77 mph dust storm winds in Colorado killing 4 and injuring 30 in highway trucker crash, nine skiers avalanched and presumed dead in Truckee, CA. while wildfires spring up in remaining drought deserts of Kansas and Nebraska.  And 36 horses die in a stable fire in North Carolina. 

   Hard weather brings death – but also amazing rescues.  Hero 14 year old saves 11 year old who fellthrough ice in a Queens, NY pond.  Good Sam pulls mom and three kids from Florida canal.  Two year old falls into and then crawls out of claw machine, clutching his prize ball; bald eagles rescued in New York and Florida

   Former President Obama condemns White House “clown show” and reiterates: “I am not a monkey, I am a man,” after Trump says he won’t fire the anonymous staffer who posted a deepfake of “The Lion King”.  But POTUS sufferes another loss as Federal Judge Cyntha Rufe orders restoration of the Philadelphia slavery monument he’d ordered torn down.

 

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Dow:  49,662.66

Things slow to a crawl for Lent and Ramadan.  Partisans still far apart on day five of Shutdown 3.0 with another migrant shot after allegedly attacking ICE agents.  The gumment accused of lying about attacks on schools to drag off students and teachers.  No solutions abroad either, just lots of jibber jabber about “progress” in Ukraine and Gaza and Iranian mullah Khameini threatens to “slap” America (which would earn his country another beating over nukes and terror sponsorship as the DoD/DoWar sends the USS Gerald Ford to join other warships heading towards the smackdown.

   TV gridwatchers say half the new electric power generated by Old King Coal will be diverted from Americans to server farms and data centers (more than 3K and rising) raising power bills for consumers.

   No cooperation from the weather.  After weeks of drought, the West gets rain and snow in the mountains where nine Truckee, California skiers are killed by an avalanche.  The heat and wildfires migrate to Kansas and Nebraska while the Southeast enjoys a record mild winter, soon to be replaced by a new freeze and storms that will move north to once again bury the Northeast under snow and ice.

 

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Dow:  49,395.16

British police arrest and drive off the unprinced Andrew, scowling in the backseat of a copcar on his 66th birthday.  His crime is not sex with children but, rather, trading confidential U.K. docs about investment opportunities in Afghanistan for the fun for which Epstein tells him “We’ll play again.”  He could get life.  It raises new calls for abolition of the monarchy, disturbing King Chuck.

   King Zuck testifies that AI and social media should not be blamed for making teens depressed; it’s their parents’ job (reflecting the legally precedent-setting prosecution of school shooter father who let him have a gun).  This causes Second Amendment right-wingers to veer left. 

   Walking dead lateniter Steven Colbert begins the day with Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga) accusing President Trump (“a symptom of a deeper disease”) and the “billionaire elites” manipulating the midterms due to the Citizens’ United SCOTUS decision.  He winds up with Michael Poller, author of “A World Appears”, who assures us (after an earlier talkshow statement that all governments seek cheap food) that, while AI will steal our jobs, it will never achieve humanity because machines can think, but they cannot feel.

   Divided Dems rassle over “Tax the Rich” plans, promoted by Zorro and the Bern.  They say it will mitigate inequality, critics say, if applied locally, corporations and their jobs will just move out.  Midterm hopes are further compromised, however, by “woke” protesters like the man who steals an ambulance, crashes it into an ICE office building – then tries to set it on fire, validating MAGA contentions that Trump Derangement Syndromists are violently deranged... while, at the other end, a Presidential “adviser” says journalists who say tariffs cause inflation should be arrested.  (They have a point, it’s more the war potential with Iran that’s raising oil prices and throttling the eee-con-me.)

 

 

Again, the volatility of the trade deficit – rising and falling with the will of the President and tariffs – turns the Don to Down, despite decreases in unemployment and modest gains in wages.  Inflation, too, is not down but up less than before on account of lower gas prices.  But the voters are still turning against MAGA – except that Democrats have nothing to offer either.

 

 

 

 

THE DON JONES INDEX

 

CHART of CATEGORIES w/VALUE ADDED to EQUAL BASELINE of 15,000

(REFLECTING… approximately… DOW JONES INDEX of June 27, 2013)

 

Gains in indices as improved are noted in GREEN.  Negative/harmful indices in RED as are their designation.  (Note – some of the indices where the total went up created a realm where their value went down... and vice versa.) See a further explanation of categories HERE

 

ECONOMIC INDICES 

 

(60%)

CATEGORY

VALUE

BASE

RESULTS by PERCENTAGE

SCORE

OUR SOURCES and COMMENTS

INCOME

(24%)

6/17/13 revised 1/1/22

LAST

CHANGE

NEXT

LAST WEEK

THIS WEEK

THE WEEK’S CLOSING STATS...

Wages (hrly. Per cap)

9%

1350 points

 12/11/25

   -5.42%

   2/26

1,878.49

1,878.49

https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/average-hourly-earnings    37.17

Median Inc. (yearly)

4%

600

 2/13/26

  +0.062%

 2/27/26

1,117.06

1,117.75

http://www.usdebtclock.org/   51,720

Unempl. (BLS – in mi)

4%

600

 2/13/26

  +2.33%

   2/26*

542.60

542.60

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000/    4.3

Official (DC – in mi)

2%

300

 2/13/26

  +0.17%

 2/27/26

206.55

206.20

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    7,89

Unofficl. (DC – in mi)

2%

300

  2/13/26

  +0.24%

 2/27/26

240.33

239.76

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    14,296

Workforce Participation

   Number

   Percent

2%

300

  2/13/26

 

  +0.031%

   -0.001%

 2/27/26

298.55

298.55

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    In 164,345 Out 103,642 Total: 267,987

61.326

WP %  (ycharts)*

1%

150

  2/13/26

   +0.16%

    2/26*

150.95

151.19

https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate  62.50

OUTGO

(15%)

Total Inflation

7%

1050

 2/13/26

   +0.3%

    2/26*

924.67

922.82

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.2

Food

2%

300

 2/13/26

   +0.7%

    2/26*

260.75

260.23

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.2

Gasoline

2%

300

 2/13/26

    -0.5%

    2/26*

256.39

264.59

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm      -3.2

Medical Costs

2%

300

 2/13/26

   +0.4%

    2/26*

273.10

272.55

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.2

Shelter

2%

300

 2/13/26

   +0.4%

    2/26*

240.63

239.67

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.3

WEALTH

 

Dow Jones Index

2%

300

  2/13/26

   +0.12%

   2/27/26

381.08

380.64

https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/index/   49,395.16

Home (Sales)

(Valuation)

1%

1%

150

150

  2/13/26

   +5.33%

    -1.17%

   2/27/26

134.42

268.00

141.58

264.86

https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics

Sales (M):  4.35  Valuations (K):  404.4

Millionaires  (New Category)

1%

150

  2/13/26

   +0.06%

   2/27/26

136.42

136.51

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    24,056

Paupers (New Category)

1%

150

  2/13/26

   +0.033%

   2/27/26

135.46

135.42

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    36,739

GOVERNMENT

(10%)

Revenue (trilns.)

2%

300

  2/13/26

  +0.13%

 2/27/26

469.00

469.61

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    5,378

Expenditures (tr.)

2%

300

  2/13/26

  +0.06%

 2/27/26

293.11

292.94

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    7,083

National Debt tr.)

3%

450

  2/13/26

  +0.08%

 2/27/26

349.70

349.41

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    38,715

Aggregate Debt (tr.)

3%

450

  2/13/26

  +0.10%

 2/27/26

373.10

372.72

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    106,719

TRADE

(5%)

Foreign Debt (tr.)

2%

300

  2/13/26

   +0.14%

 2/27/26

255.71

255.36

http://www.usdebtclock.org/    9,501

Exports (in billions)

1%

150

 2/13/26

    -1.64%

   2/26*

181.79

178.80

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html  287.3

Imports (in billions))

1%

150

 2/13/26

   +2.43%

   2/26*

147.87

144.27

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html  357.6

Trade Surplus/Deficit (blns.)

1%

150

 2/13/26

  -19.20%

   2/26*

249.66

201.72

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html   0.3

ACTS of MAN

(12%)

 

World Affairs

3%

450

 2/13/26

         -0.1%

 2/27/26

471.02

470.55

Former Prince Andrew arrested for leaking classified docs to Epstein.  French criminal “The Fly” rescued by colleagues in armed attack on prison transport. 

War and terrorism

2%

300

 2/13/26

        -0.2%

 2/27/26

285.15

284.58

US military stops another Venezuelan tanker, this one off the coast of... India!  Pope Leo turns down appointment to Trump’s “Board of Peace” which is full of bribe-istic dictators.  Arsonist burns down Renee Good memorial in MAGAttack, liberal responds by crashing stolen ambulance into ICE building (above).

Politics

3%

450

 2/13/26

              nc

 2/27/26

457.92

457.92

Ex-Pres. Obama says he is not a monkey.  Trump orders Philadelphia slavery mural destroyed, renegade Fed Judge Rufe orders it restored.   Trumply spy spooks Palantir move from Colorado to Miami to be closer to Father. 

Economics

3%

450

 2/13/26

        -0.1%

 2/27/26

431.36

430.93

If it’s the economy, stupid, Trump 2.0 is smart or at least lucky as fall in gas prices drives inflation down to 2.3% increase – confusing an already baffled and divided Fed, looking towards the end of the Powell regime.  Dow cracks 50K then falls back due to “AI disruptions”; Apple has worst day since April.  Wendy’s to close 300 eateries, more Piggly Wiggly stores and Del Taco goes del broke-o..  Etsy sells used fasionistas DePop to EBay for $1.2B.   CostCo recalls pre-expired gift cards. 

Crime

1%

150

 2/13/26

         -0.2%

 2/27/26

206.43

206.02

More EpFiles arrests include Victoria’s Secret CEO Casey Wasserman and, now, deprinced Andy.  Alien fleeing ICE crashes car, kills innocent woman.  BYU QB accused of rape, fat passenger brawls with others on Delta flight.  Nasty nursing home nurse steals $300K from 50 residents, drunk dentist arrested performing oral surgery.  5 shot, 2 killed at RI youth hockey game.  Tucson police still investigating Guthrie kidnap, announce a suspect backpack came from WalMart.

ACTS of GOD

(6%)

 

Environment/Weather

3%

450

 2/13/26

           -0.2%

 2/27/26

280.82

280.26

Too much rain too fast in droughtly California while the Midwest and Southeast want some.  77 mph winds raise dust storms that kill four, injure 30 and cause multiple crashes in Colorado.  Trump signs EO to boost production of Roundup toxins. 

Disasters

3%

450

 2/13/26

           nc

 2/27/26

463.09

463.09

Passengers brawling on flight from Turkey to U.K. banned for life... from Jet Blue!  Tyler Riddick wins Daytona 500 as wildfires rage all around.

LIFESTYLE/JUSTICE INDEX

(15%)

 

Science, Tech, Education

4%

600

 2/13/26

        +0.1%

 2/27/26

613.07

613.68

Replacement astronauts finally arrive at I.S.S. after four recalled for a “medical emergency”.  Passengers at AI conference in India say that AI will cause “massive unemployment.”  95M year old “Spinosaurus” dino fossil found in the Sahara,

Equality (econ/social)

     4%

600

 2/13/26

         -0.1%

 2/27/26

672.37

671.70

“Insanely crazy” NYC rents force seniors to take in roommates.  Mural honoring Stonewall gay riots ordered removed by Trump, restored by Mayor Zorro. 

Health

4%

600

 2/13/26

         -0.1%

 2/27/26

417.13

416.71

Chrysler recalls vehicles with “do not drive” alerts, food recalls include Tippy Toes baby food and several brands of peanut butter.    Measles outbreak at Ave Maria U. in Naples, FL causing  FDA’s Marty McCrary to backstab patron RFK Jr., advising infant vaxxing.  Skier Lindsay Vonn returns to US to recover from broken leg.  Granddaughter donates liver to grandpa. 

Freedom and Justice

3%

450

 2/13/26

         -0.2%

 2/27/26

483.04

482.07

Legal cases begin against Camp Mystik, journalist Don Lemon for insurrectionary reporting on President Trump, who pardons five football felons.  Banfield au pair convicted of abetting “catfishing” murder of hiw wife, gets ten years.  ICE chases and attacks ten year old migrants at school bus stop.  Judge rules that boneless wings can still be wings.

CULTURAL and MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS

(6%)

 

Cultural incidents

3%

450

 2/13/26

           -0.3%

 2/27/26

579.76

578.02

“Wuthering Heights” flips BO with $82K gross.  (“Melania” flops).  “Baywatch” seeks the next Pam (Anderson) and David (Hasselhof).   In Milan, several Olympians celebrate Valentines’ Day with engagement, even marriage.  Satan gives Quad God Ilia Malinin a shove, sending him sprawling and losing but Amerca stands second to only Norway in medals.

   Go Fund Me raises $2M for Van der Beek family, bankrupted by his medical bills.  This week’s RIP include Jesse Jackson (above), actors Robert Duvall (“Godfather”), Tom Noonan (“Manhunter”), Bud Cort (“Harold and Maude”), surfing champ Kurt Van Dyke, killed by robbers in Coasta Rica, documentarian Frederick Wiseman.

Miscellaneous incidents

4%

450

 2/13/26

           +0.2%

 2/27/26

547.81

548.90

Nine year old Irish influencer “Dory” racks up 17M views on Tik Tok.  In animaniac news, angry dogs can now get CBG treats, 36 horses killed in stable fire, heroes save eagle stranded on Hudson ice floe, other bald eagle rescued in Florida.  Jelly Roll wife Bunnie XO promotes comedy, “when a man makes you laugh, the pants come down.”

 

The Don Jones Index for the week of February 13th through February 19th, 2026 was DOWN 50.79 points

The Don Jones Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New Consensus: retired Congressman and Independent Presidential candidate Jack “Catfish” Parnell, Chairman; Brian Doohan, Administrator.  The CNC denies, emphatically, allegations that the organization, as well as any of its officers (including former Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin Tillerman and cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnell’s works, “Entropy and Renaissance” and “The Coming Kill-Off” are fictitious or, at best, mere pawns in the web-serial “Black Helicopters” – and promise swift, effective legal action againth parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.

Comments, complaints, donations (especially SUPERPAC donations) always welcome at feedme@generisis.com or: speak@donjonesindex.com.

 

ATTACHMENT ONE – FROM THE STRAITS TIMES, SINGAPORE: RE-ATTACHED FROM DJI LAST WEEK (dji.260213)

SENATE DEMOCRATS SEEK PROBE OF REPORTED UAE STAKE IN TRUMP FAMILY’S CRYPTO COMPANY

Published Feb 14, 2026, 12:06 PM  Updated Feb 14, 2026, 03:38 PM

 

WASHINGTON – Two Democratic members of the US Senate Banking Committee on Feb 13 asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to examine the potential national security implications of a reported purchase of a US$500 million (S$631.8 million) stake in the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture by the United Arab Emirates’ national security adviser.

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim asked Mr Bessent, who heads the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), to determine whether a CFIUS review is required of the 49 per cent UAE stake in World Liberty Financial and, if so, to conduct a comprehensive, thorough and unbiased investigation.

CFIUS is a Treasury-led interagency committee that vets foreign investments for national security risks, including top officials from the Defence, State, Commerce, Homeland Security and Justice departments.

In a letter viewed by Reuters, they asked Mr Bessent to respond to several questions about the transaction by March 5, including whether CFIUS had reviewed the deal in any form, or submitted any recommendations to Republican President Donald Trump about it.

The Treasury had no immediate comment on the letter.

“The transaction raises significant national security concerns,” the senators said in the letter.

Ms Warren and other Democratic senators have repeatedly raised questions about World Liberty Financial, which was founded two months before Mr Trump’s November 2024 victory in the US presidential election, and potential conflicts of interest.

The firm was announced by businessman Steve Witkoff, who is now a key Trump envoy.

Mr Trump’s aides have said he has handed over control of his business ventures, which are being reviewed by outside ethics lawyers.

Ms Warren and Mr Kim said CFIUS had a “clear mandate to address potential national security risks from foreign investments, including transactions that could allow foreign governments like China or the UAE to access critical technology or the sensitive personal data of US citizens”.

They said the reported deal raised questions about whether the UAE or China might be able to access any of the “sensitive personal information” that World Liberty Financial says it collects, they wrote.

The Wall Street Journal in January reported that G42, a company backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who manages the UAE’s largest wealth fund and is a member of the Gulf nation’s royal family, bought the stake in World Liberty Financial days before Mr Trump began his second term in January 2025.

Months later, the Trump administration approved the sale of advanced artificial intelligence chips to the UAE.

World Liberty is behind the stablecoin USD1, which is pegged to the US dollar and backed by short-term US government Treasuries, US dollar deposits and other cash equivalents.

The company counts Mr Trump and Mr Witkoff as co-founders emeritus, and is run by members of the Trump and Witkoff families.

Ms Warren and Mr Kim noted that US intelligence had long warned that G42 “may have provided technology to assist China’s military.” REUTERS

 

EXTRA (from last week): Today, the Straits Times reported that Senators Warren and Kim pulled the pin on an official investigation of the World Liberty Financial fiasco... ordering SecTreas Bessent to examine and rule upon whether the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) he leads is to order a review of the 49 per cent UAE stake in WLF, the ways and means of “stablecoin USD1”, the culpability of the Witkoffs (and, by extension, the Trumps) and... specifically... whether Shiekh Tanoon’s G42 “may have provided technology to assist China’s military.” 

 

UPDATE –  Friday the 13th (DJI. 260213: ATTACHMENT THIRTY THREE)...

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts and ranking member of Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee testified at a hearing in Washington Feb 12 that the potential for corruption demanded that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS – headed by none other than Trump’s SecTreas Scott Bessant) be reviewed as to whether the 49% UAE stake in World Liberty (reported by Singapore’s Strait Times and Reuters) was legal.

After the Wall Street Journal reported upon G42, a company backed by Sheikh Tahnoon, in January, Warren and Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) said the reported deal raised questions about whether the UAE or China might be able to access any of the “sensitive personal information” that World Liberty Financial says it collects.

“World Liberty is behind the stablecoin USD1, which is pegged to the US dollar and backed by short-term US government Treasuries, US dollar deposits and other cash equivalents,” the Straits Times explained.  “The company counts Mr Trump and Mr Witkoff as co-founders emeritus, and is run by members of the Trump and Witkoff families.”

Ms Warren and Mr Kim noted that US intelligence had long warned that G42 may have provided technology to assist China’s military. (REUTERS)

 

ATTACHMENT TWO – FROM AI OVERVIEW

Based on reports from early 2026, the intersection of Chinese New Year, cryptocurrency, and Donald Trump has been marked by extreme volatility, with market sentiment heavily influenced by trade tensions and "pro-crypto" policy shifts including... 

·         Trump's Tariff Impact on Crypto (Oct 2025 - Early 2026): Threats of 100% tariffs on Chinese imports by the Trump administration triggered the largest cryptocurrency liquidation in history in October 2025, with $18-$20 billion in crypto positions (Bitcoin, Ether, Solana) wiped out.

·         Post-Election Surge and Subsequent Crash: Bitcoin soared after Trump's election, reaching over $125,000 in October 2025. However, by February 2026, Bitcoin lost those gains, dropping below $61,000 amid volatility, yet analysts theorized the worst might be over.

·         Trump and China Rivalry: Trump has framed his crypto stance as a national security issue, aiming to make the U.S. the "crypto capital" to prevent China from dominating the digital asset space.

·         Chinese Investment in "Trump Coins": Despite trade tensions, Chinese investors and billionaires, such as Justin Sun, have been heavily involved in buying Trump-backed cryptocurrencies, including investments in World Liberty Financial.

·         Chinese New Year Impact: Historically, Bitcoin has shown a strong track record of positive returns during the Lunar New Year period (83% success rate over 12 years), often creating a "speculative mania" for new tokens, including snake-themed tokens in 2025.

·         Market Sentiment: While some investors see Bitcoin as a bet on the success of Trump's pro-crypto, anti-China policies, others have fled to safe havens like gold as trade tensions escalated in late 2025. 

As of February 2026, Trump's policies, including potential federal Bitcoin reserves and the "Genius Act," continue to drive major shifts in the crypto market. 

 

ATTACHMENT THREE – FROM TWO MORE AI OVERVIEWS...

CHINESE NEW YEAR HISTORICALLY TRIGGERS A "RED ENVELOPE" EFFECT, WITH BITCOIN OFTEN RISING IN THE WEEKS FOLLOWING THE HOLIDAY, 11 OF THE LAST 12 YEARS SEEING POSITIVE RETURNS

Although 2025 saw a brief 4.8% dip, the 2026 period (beginning Jan 29) is expected to continue trends of increased volatility and potential, with 10x Research suggesting a potential 11% average ROI. 

Key Trends and Observations

·         Historical Pattern: From 2015 to 2024, Bitcoin recorded positive returns for 10 consecutive years during the Spring Festival, with gains between 0.8% and 19.5%.

·         2025 Exception: The trend broke in 2025 with a 4.8% drop, suggesting potential shifts in market behavior.

·         The "Pre-Holiday" Selloff: Investors often sell to raise cash for festivities, sometimes causing a dip, followed by a sharp recovery.

·         Impact on Crypto: While the Chinese yuan is no longer the dominant trading pair for BTC due to 2021 restrictions, high volume from Chinese users still influences market movements.

·         Digital Yuan: The Chinese government has used the holiday to promote its CBDC via digital red packets, representing a "modernized" take on the tradition. 

2026 Outlook

·         Market Context: The 2026 holiday coincides with a period of high volatility, with traders monitoring if the 2025 downward trend will repeat or if the long-term bullish trend will resume.

·         Timing: The 2026 CNY period brings expectations of increased activit, with some data suggesting a 20% potential increase in value. 

 

And...


OTHER AI Overview

In early 2026, the intersection of Chinese New Year, crypto, and President Trump is defined by extreme volatility driven by trade tensions. Trump's threats of a 100% tariff on Chinese imports triggered massive crypto sell-offs in late 2025/early 2026, despite his earlier efforts to make the U.S. the "crypto capital"

While his administration established a strategic Bitcoin reserve, the market saw significant volatility. 

Key details regarding the intersection of Trump, China, and Crypto:

·         Tariff-Driven Sell-offs: Trump’s announcement of 100% tariffs on Chinese imports in late 2025 created a "massacre" in the crypto market, reversing earlier gains.

·         Volatility and "Winter": Despite promising a crypto-friendly environment, the market experienced a "winter" in early 2026, with Bitcoin losing gains from the 2024 election as investors reacted to geopolitical shocks and trade policies.

·         Chinese Investment in Trump Ventures: A notable $30 million investment in World Liberty Financial, a crypto project associated with the Trump family, was made by Chinese entrepreneur Justin Sun, according to a Feb. 28, 2025 article.

·         Strategic Reserve vs. Market Reality: Trump established a national strategic Bitcoin reserve using seized assets, but market volatility caused by trade disputes has overshadowed this, leading to significant losses for investors. 

This environment highlights the conflict between the administration's pro-crypto stance and the market-jolting effects of trade conflicts with China. 

 

 

ATTACHMENT FOUR – FROM YAHOO FINANCE

TRUMP'S CRYPTO COMPETITION WITH CHINA FUTILE, SAYS PETER SCHIFF: 'CHINESE LEADERSHIP IS TOO SMART TO CARE ABOUT BITCOIN'

By Aniket Verma  February 6, 2026

 

Economist Peter Schiff questioned on Wednesday President Donald Trump’s push to make the U.S. the “world capital” of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), arguing that Beijing couldn’t care less about the leading cryptocurrency.

 

CHINA NOT BOTHERED ABOUT BITCOIN, SAYS SCHIFF

In an X post, Schiff slammed Trump’s oft-repeated argument that the U.S. must dominate cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to stop China from getting ahead.

“But Chinese leadership is too smart to care about Bitcoin,” Schiff said. “While we're wasting capital and resources, they're building factories and buying gold.”

Trump says he believes in crypto and wants to make the U.S. the Bitcoin capital of the world because, if we don't do it, China will. But Chinese leadership is too smart to care about Bitcoin. While we're wasting capital and resources, they're building factories and buying gold.

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Wall Street's $12B Real Estate Manager Is Opening Its Doors to Individual Investors — Without the Crowdfunding Middlemen

 

CHINA MAINTAINS ANTI-CRYPTO STANCE

Trump claimed in November that China was trying to get “big” into cryptocurrency, even though there has been no concrete evidence.

Beijing issued multiple restrictions between 2013 and 2021 that ultimately banned all cryptocurrency transactions and mining. China’s central bank formally declared all digital-asset trading illegal in September 2021, and providing such services to Chinese citizens from abroad is also prohibited.

The central bank reaffirmed the enforcement in November, voicing specific worries about dollar-pegged stablecoins.

The country has rather focused on advancing its central bank digital currency, the Digital Yuan. Also, unlike the U.S., China has not announced a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

See Also: Deloitte's #1 Fastest-Growing Software Company Lets Users Earn Money Just by Scrolling — Accredited Investors Can Still Get In at $0.50/Share.

 

The numbers:

What price will Bitcoin hit in February?

$71,085,720 Volume

Ends on Mar 1, 2026

↑ 75,000

26%

↓ 60,000

26%

↓ 55,000

9%

↑ 80,000

7%

On the other hand, China has aggressively ramped up its gold reserves, marking 14 consecutive months of purchases as of early January, reported Bloomberg.

 

CRYPTO IN BEAR MARKET?

Schiff’s remarks come alongside a brutal sell-off hammering Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency market.

The leading cryptocurrency was only 1.8% away from falling to its previous bull-cycle peak of $69,700. Bitcoin has nearly erased all the gains since Trump assumed office.

 

 

ATTACHMENT FIVE – FROM AL JAZEERA

YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE: CAN LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVAL BOOST CHINA’S ECONOMY?

China looks to boost domestic consumption during holidays as some 1.4 billion people usher in the Year of the Fire Horse.

Published On 17 Feb 202617 Feb 2026

About 1.4 billion people began marking the Lunar New Year on Tuesday amid fireworks as China enters the Year of the Fire Horse, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.

Known as the Spring Festival in China, the new year, based on the lunar calendar, also brings about the world’s largest annual human migration, called Chunyun, as millions travel across the country for family reunions.

Ramadan 2026: Fasting hours, suhoor and iftar times around the world

It is also a huge opportunity to boost domestic consumption in the world’s second-largest economy, which has been driven by exports.

Monday night’s gala, one of the largest state-sponsored televised events, was marked by a stunningly synchronised kung fu performance by robots and children.

The Year of the Horse, said to bring optimism and opportunity, is following the Year of the Snake, which represented transformation and strategy.

Here is a quick snapshot of the festival.

WHAT’S LUNAR NEW YEAR?

It is the most important holiday in China and is celebrated by millions of people in the country and in East and Southeast Asia.

In the days leading up to it, people clean their homes and decorate with red lanterns, couplets, and paper cuttings that represent prosperity and good fortune.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, families gather for a large reunion dinner, exchanging hongbao, red envelopes of cash as a symbol of blessings and good fortune.

The celebrations usually last about 15 days, ending with the Lantern Festival. Fireworks, dragon and lion dances, temple fairs across big cities and the hinterland are common during this period.

In the Chinese zodiac, each year is associated with one of the 12 zodiac animals, which is believed to influence the year’s character and fortune.

The animal from the Chinese zodiac is then paired with any one of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth.

This is the Year of the Fire Horse.

This year’s official holiday is nine days, rather than the typical eight, with New Year’s Day falling on Tuesday, February 17.

WHAT’S (the) YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE?

The Chinese zodiac system is incredibly complex, repeating every 12 years, each represented by an animal in this order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

The year of one’s birth decides their zodiac sign; meaning, the ones born last year were Snakes, this year’s children would be Horses and next year’s would be Goats.

A complex mechanism decides how the year will be paired with one of the five elements.

This year, the element is Bing, or big sun, paired with the Horse. This pairing occurs every 60 years, most recently in 1966.

For those who believe in the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Fire Horse represents an explosion of energy and independence, with unpredictable realignments.

WHY IS CHINA HOPING THE LUNAR NEW YEAR SPENDING WILL BOOST THE ECONOMY?

The Spring Festival in China is not just cultural but also economically significant, typically driving a spike in consumption across multiple sectors.

People spend heavily on food and festive goods, entertainment, and tourism, with retail and e-commerce platforms registering a surge in sales during the pre-holiday period.

The Chinese government is also expecting a record 9.5 billion passenger trips during the 40-day Spring Festival period, up from nine billion trips last year, as they travel for annual reunions.

The government has also issued consumer vouchers worth more than 360 million yuan ($52m) this month to boost consumption.

China is looking to boost domestic spending in its next five-year economic plan, where households save nearly a third of their income.

WHERE ELSE IS LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATED?

It is a global phenomenon extending beyond China. In East and Southeast Asia, several countries observe the Lunar New Year under distinct cultural pretexts.

For instance, Vietnam celebrates Tet Nguyen Dan, which emphasises family reunions and specific culinary traditions like banh chung. In South Korea, Seollal, or the Korean New Year, focuses on honouring ancestors and the consumption of tteokguk, a rice cake soup believed to grant people another year of age.

In Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia, the holiday is a multicultural event marked by public holidays.

Diaspora communities in cities like San Francisco, London, and Sydney also host some of the largest celebrations in the world, featuring massive parades, dragon boat races and fireworks.

FUN FACT ABOUT THE YEAR OF THE HORSE

This Lunar New Year found its mascot in a rather unusual place: in the World of Harry Potter, a wildly popular British production. And that too in the franchise’s most popular villain, Draco Malfoy.

In Mandarin, the name Malfoy is written phonetically as “ma er fu”. The opening character, ma, signifies “horse” and the closing character, fu, represents “fortune” or “blessing”.

 

 

ATTACHMENT SIX – FROM 1440

YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE

February 16th

 

Lunar New Year celebrations kick off tomorrow, ushering in the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac. The 15-day festivities, observed by billions worldwide, start with the new moon and end with the Lantern Festival. China anticipates a record 9.5 billion trips during the 40-day travel rush around the holiday, the world’s largest annual human migration.

The horse is the seventh animal in the 12-year zodiac cycle and symbolizes energy, independence, and ambition. Those born in horse years are seen as dynamic, courageous, and charismatic. Many see the Year of the Fire Horse as a time to take bold steps, embrace change, and pursue new opportunities. The last Fire Horse year occurred in 1966; notable births include Adam Sandler, Gordon Ramsay, Halle Berry, and Helena Bonham Carter. See your zodiac animal here.

Traditions focus on family and fortune (see our overview), including gifting lai see or hóngbāo to children—red envelopes filled with "lucky money." See a guide to the holiday, closely associated with the Spring Festival and Chinese New Year, here. 

 

ATTACHMENT SEVEN – FROM CHINAHIGHLIGHTS.COM

CHINESE NEW YEAR 2026: TRADITIONS, HORSE YEAR CELEBRATION CALENDAR

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China and a major event in some other East Asian countries.

Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. Chinese New Year 2026 will fall on Tuesday, February 17th. The date changes every year but is always somewhere in the period from January 21st to February 20th.

It was traditionally a time to honor deities and ancestors, and it has also become a time to feast and visit family members.

Content Preview

§  Traditions and Celebrations

§  How Long is Chinese New Year Celebration?

§  2026 Zodiac Animal: Fire Horse

§  Superstitions and Taboos

§  Chinese New Year Greetings

§  Why Chinese New Year Is Celebrated?

§  Chinese New Year Celebrations in Other Regions and Countries

CHINESE NEW YEAR TRADITIONS AND CELEBRATIONS

Regional customs and traditions vary widely but share the same theme: seeing out the old year and welcoming in the luck and prosperity of a new year. The main Chinese New Year activities include

§  putting up decorations,

§  offering sacrifices to ancestors,

§  eating reunion dinner with family on New Year's Eve,

§  giving red envelopes and other gifts,

§  firecrackers and fireworks, and

§  watching lion and dragon dances.

1. CLEANING AND DECORATING HOUSES WITH RED THINGS

People give their houses a thorough cleaning before the Spring Festival, which symbolizes sweeping away the bad luck of the preceding year and making their homes ready to receive good luck.

Red is the main color for the festival, as red is believed to be an auspicious color for the Lunar New Year, denoting prosperity and energy — which ward off evil spirits and negativity. Red lanterns hang in streets; red couplets and New Year pictures are pasted on doors.

§  See more on How to Decorate for Chinese New Year: The Top 7 Decorations.

2. OFFERING SACRIFICES TO ANCESTORS

Honoring the dead is a Chinese New Year's tradition that's kept to the word. Many Chinese people visit ancestors' graves on the day before the Chinese New Year's day, offer sacrifices to ancestors before the reunion dinner (to show that they are letting their ancestors "eat" first), and add an extra glass and place it at the dinner table on New Year's eve.

3. ENJOYING A FAMILY REUNION DINNER ON LUNAR NEW YEAR'S EVE

Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is a time for families to be together. Chinese New Year's Eve is the most important time. Wherever they are, people are expected to be home to celebrate the festival with their families. The Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is called 'reunion dinner'. Big families of several generations sit around round tables and enjoy the food and time together.

4. EXCHANGING RED ENVELOPES AND OTHER GIFTS

Chinese New Year is a season of red envelopes (or red packets, lìshì or lai see in Cantonese). Red envelopes have money in, and are often given to children and (retired) seniors.

The red envelope (money) is called ya sui qian (压岁钱 /yaa sway chyen/), which means 'suppressing Sui [the demon]money'. Those who receive a red envelope are wished another safe and peaceful year.

Other popular Lunar New Year gifts are alcohol, tea, fruits, and candies.

See more on:

§  Who You Should Give Red Envelopes to and How Much to Give

§  Best Chinese New Year Gift Ideas for Friends, Parents, Kids

§  10 Things You Should Not Give as a Chinese New Year Gift

5. SETTING OFF FIRECRACKERS AND FIREWORKS

From public displays in major cities to millions of private celebrations in China's rural areas, setting off firecrackers and fireworks is an indispensable festive activity. It is a way to scare away the evil and welcome the new year's arrival.

Billions of fireworks go up in China at 12 am and in the first minutes of Chinese New Year, the most anywhere at any time of year.

§  See more on Why Chinese New Year Must Have Firecrackers.

6. WATCHING LION AND DRAGON DANCES

Lion dances and dragon dances are widely seen in China and Chinatowns in many Western countries during the Lunar New Year period. They are performed to bring prosperity and good luck for the upcoming year or event.

There are more Chinese New Year traditions and customs, such as wearing new clothes, staying up late on Chinese New Year's Eve, watching the Spring Festival Gala, etc.

HOW LONG IS CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS?

Celebrations of Chinese New Year traditionally last for 16 days, starting from Chinese New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival. The public holiday in 2026 is from February 15th to February 22nd, lasting 8 days.

The most notable dates of the Chinese New Year 2026 are these days:

Solar Date (2026)

Title

Activities

Feb. 10th

Little Year
(小年 Xiǎonián)

Thorough house-cleaning and cooking

Feb. 16th

Chinese New Year's Eve
(除夕 Chúxì)

Visiting ancestors' graves, enjoying the family reunion dinner, giving red envelopes, staying up until midnight, and setting off firecrackers and fireworks

Feb. 17th

Chinese New Year's Day
初一 (Chūyī)

Visiting/greeting family and relatives, and giving presents

Mar. 3rd

Lantern Festival
(元宵节 Yuánxiāojié)

Marks the end of the festival. Lanterns, dragon dances...

Chinese New Year Food

§  Fish is a must as it sounds like 'surplus' in Chinese and symbolizes abundance.

§  Dumplings shaped like Chinese silver ingots are shared as a sign of the family unit and prosperity.

§  Niángāo (glutinous rice cake) is welcome because it symbolizes a higher income or position as it sounds like 'year high'.

Food is an important part of Chinese New Year. Lucky food is served during the 16-day festival season, especially on the New Year's Eve family reunion dinner.

Read more on:

§  7 Lucky Chinese New Year Foods

§  The Top 11 Chinese New Year Desserts

§  Top 7 Chinese New Year Snacks

§  Chinese New Year Fruits

2026 CHINESE ZODIAC ANIMAL: FIRE HORSE

The Chinese zodiac gives each year an animal sign.

Each Chinese year is associated with an animal sign according to the Chinese zodiac cycle. 2026 is the year of the Horse, specifically, Fire Horse.

Year

Date of Chinese New Year

Animal Sign

2026

February 17

Horse

2027

February 6

Goat

2028

January 26

Monkey

2029

February 13

Rooster

2030

February 3

Dog

2031

January 23

Pig

2032

February 11

Rat

2033

January 31

Ox

2034

February 19

Tiger

2035

February 8

Rabbit

 

CHINESE NEW YEAR SUPERSTITIONS: THINGS YOU MUSTN'T DO

Chinese people traditionally believe that the year's start affects the whole year, so China's Spring Festival is a season of superstitions. It's believed that what something looks like (color, shape), and what its name sounds like, gives it auspicious or ill-fated significance. There are many things you cannot do:

§  Don't sweep up on New Year's Day, otherwise you'll 'sweep all your luck away'.

§  Don't eat porridge for breakfast, otherwise you'll 'become poor in the upcoming year'.

§  Don't wash your clothes and hair (on New Year's Day), otherwise you'll 'wash fortune away'.

See more on Chinese New Year Taboos and Superstitions: Top 18 Things You Should Not Do.

How to Say "Happy Chinese New Year" in Chinese

When people meet friends, relatives, colleagues, and even strangers during the festive period, they usually say "Xīnnián hǎo" (新年好), literally meaning 'New Year Goodness', or "Xīnnián kuàilè" (新年快乐), meaning 'Happy Chinese New Year'.

One of the most famous traditional greetings for Chinese New Year is the Cantonese kung hei fat choi, literally 'happiness and prosperity'. In Mandarin that's gongxi facai.

新年好 — Happy Chinese New Year

§  In Mandarin: xīn nián hǎo /sshin-nyen haoww/

§  In Cantonese: san nin hou

恭喜发财 — Happiness and prosperity

§  In Mandarin: gōng xǐ fā cái /gong-sshee faa-tseye/

§  In Cantonese: gong hay fat choy

For more greetings and wishes, see

§  More Ways to Say "Happy New Year" in Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese)

§  40+ Chinese New Year Greetings and Wishes for Family, Friends, Colleagues, Boss, and Clients

(We encourage you to find creative ways to share the content or images with your friends, family, colleagues, and communities, provided that you acknowledge the copyright along the lines of "Copyright chinahighlights.com.")

(Find those images and tips at website above)

WHY IS CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATED?

First, legend states that the Chinese New Year stemmed from an ancient battle against the Nian (/nyen/, which sounds the same as 'year' in Chinese), a terrifying beast that showed up every Lunar New Year's Eve to eat people and livestock. To scare away the monster, people displayed red paper, burned bamboo, lit candles, and wore red clothes. These traditions have been continued until the present time.

Second, it is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the Chinese lunisolar calendar.

Read more on:

§  The Origin and History of Chinese New Year

§  The Top 3 Chinese New Year Legends/Stories

CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS IN OTHER REGIONS AND COUNTRIES

Chinese New Year is not only celebrated in China's mainland but also in various other regions and countries influenced by Chinese traditions and with ethnic Chinese populations. Some notable places where Chinese New Year celebrations take place include:

Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan: Chinese New Year is a major holiday in these regions, with locals actively participating in customs and traditions.

Taiwan enjoys a 5-holiday from February 16th to February 20th in 2026, while Hong Kong and Macau residents have a 3-day holiday from February 17th to 19th in 2026.

Festivities include vibrant flower markets, street fairs, lantern decorations, and civil servants in Macau being allowed to gamble for three days from the second day of Chinese New Year.

IN CHINESE COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD

Southeast Asian countries with a significant Chinese population celebrate Chinese New Year with similar traditions.

Singapore and Malaysia observe a 2-day holiday from February 17th  to 18th in 2026.

Indonesia has a day public holiday on  February 17th in 2026.

Thailand designates Chinese New Year (February 17th in 2026) as a regional public holiday, specifically for the provinces of arathiwat, Pattani, Yala, and Satun.

As for the Philippines, Chinese New Year is recognized as a Special Non-working Holiday.

The United States: Chinese New Year is designated as a 1-day holiday in some states such as New York and Iowa and school districts in San Francisco, Montgomery, and Philadelphia.

Australia: Chinese New Year is officially recognized as a state holiday in Christmas Island. In other places, there are no official holidays, but vibrant celebrations take place within the Chinese communities.

The United Kingdom: Chinese New Year is not a public holiday in the UK, but some educational institutions may arrange 1–2 days holiday to celebrate the festival.

These festivities are often marked by elaborate street parades, lion and dragon dances, Chinese lantern displays, fireworks, and food festivals.

 

 

ATTACHMENT EIGHT – FROM THE AUSTIN-AMERICAN STATESMAN

WHAT IS THE ANIMAL FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR 2026? SEE ZODIAC DETAILS, MEANING

By Julianna Duennes Russ,  Staff Writer  Feb 17, 2026

 

Firecrackers will spark and red lanterns will glow from Beijing to Austin as millions welcome Lunar New Year, also referred to as Chinese New Year, and usher in the Year of the Fire Horse.

The holiday begins Feb. 17, 2026, marking the start of a new lunar calendar cycle — and, in the Chinese zodiac, the arrival of a sign associated with momentum, ambition and bold change.

 

HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE YEAR OF THE HORSE AND HOW LONG THE CELEBRATION LASTS.

Lunar New Year 2026: Austin hosts free festivals, crafts, celebrations

WHAT IS THE CHINESE NEW YEAR ANIMAL IN 2026?

The Chinese New Year operates on a 12-year cycle, with different animals representing each year of the cycle. 

With 2026 comes the transition from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse, galloping into the spotlight and bringing with it expectations of forward momentum, change and growth. 

The Horse represents freedom, drive and bold action. People born in a Horse year are often described as independent, charismatic and quick-thinking. They thrive on movement and dislike feeling confined.

A Horse year is believed to bring forth rapid change and growth, especially in terms of career opportunities. It is also believed to bring travel, big life decisions, creativity and confidence.

Each year in the Chinese zodiac also pairs with one of the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal or water. The element is also believed to influence the tone of the year. This year, the element is fire, bringing forth the Year of the Fire Horse.

This is the first appearance of the Fire Horse in 60 years, and the fire element is believed to greatly accelerate the Horse's typical traits, leading to extreme energy, passion and change, including impulsivity.

HOW LONG IS LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATED?

Chinese New Year begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and is celebrated across much of East and Southeast Asia, and its diasporas. Feb. 17 marks the start of the spring festival this year, a 16-day celebration filled with family reunions, red envelopes, fireworks and traditional foods meant to bring prosperity. The first four to seven days of the celebration are observed as official holidays in many Asian countries.

The celebrations typically culminate in a Lantern Festival on March 3.

LUNAR NEW YEAR VS. CHINESE NEW YEAR

Lunar New Year and Chinese New Year are the same festival, but Lunar New Year is the more inclusive name for the holiday celebrated by many Asians. 

 

 

ATTACHMENT NINE – FROM THE BBC

YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE WELCOMED BY MILLIONS FROM BEIJING TO BANGKOK

16 February 2026

Summary

·         The Year of the Fire Horse is here - and is being celebrated by millions across Asia from Beijing to Bangkok

·         The Lunar New Year, which coincides with the first new moon of the lunar calendar, is a 15-day festival held between between 21 January and 20 February every year

·         Food is key to the celebrations. In Malaysia and Singapore, yusheng - a raw fish salad - is popular but it can only be eaten after being tossed by everyone with chopsticks. In South Korea, tins of luncheon meat are popular New Year gifts

·         In China, authorities have launched their annual crackdown on what they deem antisocial content. This year that includes posts celebrating the virtue of not having children, writes our China correspondent Stephen McDonell

·         Meanwhile in South Korea, people are continuing a recent trend of opting for simpler rituals, Seoul correspondent David Oh reports. More than 60% have said they will not hold the traditional, and elaborate, charye tables honouring ancestors this year.

Thank you for joining our dragon dance around around the world this Lunar New Year.

We have had our fill of mandarin oranges, sticky rice cakes and rowdily-tossed fish salad. Now it's time to gallop into the Year of the Fire Horse with hopes that it will be an auspicious one.

Here's a roundup of the festivities from our teams across the Asia Pacific and beyond.

·         Millions celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year this week, many of them on holiday for the rest of the week to be with family. In China alone, 9.5 billion cross-regional journeys are expected in what is considered the world's largest human migration

·         We are now in the Year of the Fire Horse. In the Chinese zodiac, the horse is known for its vitality and confidence - traits which may be fuelled further by the fire element

·         From Beijing to Bangkok, Sydney to Manila, and even Yangon, we found one common theme - children love seeing dragon dances and their parents are more than happy to bring them to the nearest Chinatown to see the spectacle

·         For many young Chinese however, the season brings annual humiliation where they are asked uncomfortable questions on sticky topics like career and marriage plans

·         Food plays a central role in the festivities and each country has a special Lunar New Year dish. In Singapore, university students got carried away tossing their traditional fish and vegetable salad and were reprimanded and ordered to undergo counseling. In the Philippines, Chinatown cuisine shows how Spanish and American influences make for delicious dimsum and noodles

·         Today's celebrations also show how traditions are kept alive despite challenges of the times, from South Korea's rising prices and shrinking birth rate to the civil war in Myanmar and a period of national mourning in Thailand for the late Queen Sirikit.

 

Takeaways

1.    In China, a very beep boop new year.  In recent years, robots have increasingly featured in Lunar New Year celebrations across China.

Last week, Shanghai-based start-up Agibot hosted an hour-long variety show, in which humanoid robots took centre stage in segments spanning dance, comedy and music.

On this year's Spring Festival gala, China's signature new year TV programme, we'll see humanoids from four start-ups performing on stage for a national audience.

China has made massive investments in robots and artificial intelligence, and experts say Chinese firms are well positioned to dominate the global humanoid robot market.

2.    What's on the table in Vietnam?

Food plays a central role in the Vietnamese new year celebration, locally known as Tet. Dishes vary by region but often include sticky rice cakes.

In the north, families prepare bánh chưng-a square cake wrapped in banana leaves and filled with glutinous rice, mung beans and pork. In the south, a cylindrical version known as bánh tét is more common.

One offering stands out for both its simplicity and symbolism: a whole boiled chicken, often presented with a red rose placed carefully in its beak. The chicken is served intact, with its head and feet attached, symbolising completeness and unity-qualities families hope to carry into the new year.

Arranged upright on a platter, sometimes with its wings neatly folded, it conveys alertness and dignity.The bright red rose provides a vivid contrast against the chicken’s golden skin.

Red, strongly associated with luck, happiness and prosperity in Vietnamese culture, reinforces wishes for good fortune in the year ahead.

Draco Malfoy: An unlikely Lunar New Year mascot in China

Draco Malfoy is best known as the young antagonist in the Harry Potter series. But now, the character is also making a festive appearance in China.

Images of Malfoy, played by actor Tom Felton, have popped up as new year decorations in China, sold on e-commerce sites, pasted on front doors and cast as a giant banner in one shopping mall.

His sudden popularity is thanks to the Chinese translation of his name Malfoy, Ma-er-fu. It contains the words for horse and fortune, ringing especially auspicious for the upcoming Year of the Horse.

The meme also took off thanks to Harry Potter's massive popularity in China. Next year Shanghai is set to welcome the largest Making Of Harry Potter studio tour.

"[It's an] oriental new year with magical elements," one user on social media site Weibo commented.

3.    Money trees and no time off in London's Chinatown

4.    The Lunar New Year celebrations are yet to kick off in London's Chinatown, with only a scattering of people unloading vans ahead of the big day.

One woman sheltering from the cold was Wendy Chan, owner of Loon Fung supermarket, who was having a sandwich and cup of tea ahead of what she was expecting to be a busy day.

"Every new year I'm working. So many people buy something - trees, flowers, lucky treats, money trees," she says, handing me a red envelope, a decoration symbolising prosperity and good luck.

Wendy came to the UK from Hong Kong as a teenager 45 years ago and her children were born here.

As much as she says it's an important day for her and her family, she won't be taking time off.

"I've no time to celebrate!" she laughs.

5.    Family reunions and the traditional dress in Vietnam  

In Vietnam, the Lunar New Year or Tet is the most important festival of the year. It is both a public holiday and a deeply personal occasion centred on family, tradition and hopes for renewal.

Vietnam’s celebration has its own distinct character, shaped by centuries of history and cultural identity. For many Vietnamese people, Tet is synonymous with reunion. In the days leading up to the holiday, major cities grow noticeably quieter as migrant workers, students and overseas Vietnamese return to their hometowns.

“Always proud to be a Vietnamese, always be home for Tet,” says Nhi Nguyen, who comes home to family every year for the holiday.

Nhi notices how quickly her country is transforming. “People’s living standards have improved. For example, eating at restaurants or traveling is no longer considered a luxury but has become part of everyday life.

She also notices how the traditional dress - the áo dài - has become more common, when before it is only worn on special occasions.

6.    'Crying horse' toys go viral in China.  A frowning horse plush has become a viral bestseller ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations for the year of the horse in China.

The sad-looking soft toy was originally made in error after a worker sewed a smile on the horse upside down, the owner of Happy Sister - a shop in the eastern city of Yiwu - has told Reuters.

After an image of it started circulating online, the horse began selling out. Some say the animal's gloomy expression resonated with young workers.

"A lot of customers like it, and they said it makes sense: that it suits the spirit of today's corporate slaves," said Zhang Huoqing, Happy Sister's owner.

"People joked that the crying horse is how you look at work, while the smiling one is how you look after work."

7.    World welcomes Lunar New Year

8.    With fireworks and dragon dances, millions ushered in the Year of the Fire Horse.

9.    China’s tech giants race to unveil new AI models

China has placed robotics and artificial Intelligence (AI) at the centre of its manufacturing strategy - and this Lunar New Year, its tech giants are racing to unveil new AI models.

DeepSeek is reportedly preparing to launch its next-generation V4 model, following the success of V3, which briefly overtook ChatGPT to top Apple’s US app store rankings.

TikTok-owner ByteDance has upgraded Doubao, China’s most-used AI chatbot, and released Seedance 2.0, a video-generation model capable of producing cinematic clips from minimal prompts.

Alibaba has rolled out Qwen 3.5, promoting “agentic commerce” - AI-driven online shopping - after a $400m coupon campaign generated more than 120 million orders in six days.

Start-ups Zhipu AI and MiniMax, dubbed China’s “AI tigers”, have launched new open-source models and raised hundreds of millions in Hong Kong listings.

Meanwhile, Tencent, iFlytek, NetEase Youdao and robotics firm Dexmal have introduced models targeting mobile devices, enterprise users and real-world robotic applications. When was the last Year of the Fire Horse?

It was in 1966.

As we posted earlier, the combination is a result of a pairing between one of the 12 animals in the zodiac and one of the five elements - wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

Each unique pairing between an animal and element carries a different energy and comes around once every 60 years.

In the Chinese zodiac, the horse is known for its vitality and confidence. These traits may be fuelled further by the fire element, say Chinese astrology experts.

Yu Kanticha, a 50-year-old resident of Chachoengsao province in Thailand, drove more than one hour to Bangkok’s Chinatown so that her young niece and two nephews could see the dragon dance this morning.

“The kids like the dragon dance. They’re so excited. Two of them have never seen it before," she tells us.

"It’s still worth coming here even though it’s visibly less festive than the previous years. I’ve been coming here every year to pray at a temple here."

Watchara Tantajiranuwat, 39, from Nonthaburi province in Bangkok’s outskirts, is in Chinatown with her mother, her husband and their five-year-old son.

Praying at the temple for good fortune has become an annual ritual, she tells us.

“My ancestors are Chinese, so naturally we have to come. I made a wish for everything in this new year to run smoothly. I asked for good luck and good health for everyone in the family."

See charts, graphs, pictures and video at BBC website here.  Here are some more questions and answers...

1.    Why isn't the cat in the Chinese zodiac?

2.     Legend has it that the Chinese zodiac was created when the Jade Emperor invited all the animals to a race across a river on his birthday.

According to these myths, the Cat too was one of the contenders. But it dropped out of the race after getting tricked by the Rat. There are different tales as to how this deceit unfolded.

In one of them, the Rat and Cat were both riding the Ox, when the competitive rodent pushed the Cat into the river, leaving it struggling for survival.

In another version, the Cat was said to have overslept and missed out on the race.

Thus, the legend goes, began the enmity between cats and rats - and it's the reason why the cat is not in the Chinese zodiac.

However, the cat's legacy lives on in Vietnamese culture - it replaces the rabbit in their zodiac.

 

WHAT IS THE 'CHINAMAXXING' TREND ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

A TikTok trend called "Chinamaxxing" has taken off in the West, just in time for Lunar New Year.

Chinese wellness practices, once associated with the tacky and geriatric, have suddenly found themselves in vogue, largely among Americans.

From warm apple-boiled water to indoor slippers and longevity exercises, people are sharing videos of themselves "learning to be Chinese". Many come with the Fight Club-inspired caption "you met me at a very Chinese time in my life", or the hashtag #newlychinese.

We are all Chinese now, it seems. 

'We took the kids out of school for a culture day'

Hong Kong-born Australian Christina Yuen, 42, and her husband Frank Bui, 45, have taken their two young sons out of school today but for good reason.

"It's a culture day," Christina tells the BBC on the steps of Sydney's Town Hall where the family have just watched a traditional Chinese lion dance.

"It's important for them to learn about their roots and understand Lunar New Year while growing up in Australia."

"Both our families are quite traditional and we want to keep that going but it's a bit lost on their generation now. For example, we try to maintain Cantonese, but it's hard."

Harrison, 4, and his big brother Oliver, 6, are in the front row when the Chinese lions make a beeline for them, so they both get to stroke the nose of the lion, which is meant to bring good luck for the new year.

As the dance finishes, the family are heading to a toy shop - looks like the kids' luck has already started.

3.    In Chinese workplaces, the horse becomes a double-edged symbol  Dr Christian Yao, a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington's School of Management in New Zealand, tells the BBC that expressions using horse imagery are likely to appear widely in workplace speeches, presentations and email subject lines in 2026.

He said such language in the workplace becomes a tool of "soft governance" whereby employees are encouraged to reflect the proactive, speedy attributes of the Fire Horse.

Many young professionals now use animal imagery as shorthand for their working lives. In corporate and official settings, they echo the slogans about speed, momentum, and "success at a gallop" in the Year of the Horse.

At the same time, some describe themselves as "niuma" - literally "ox-horse", a slang term for an overworked beast of burden.

"The coexistence of these two languages", Dr Yao says, "captures the most typical tension in today's Chinese workplace: the need to keep up an uplifting narrative in public, while privately admitting burnout and powerlessness.”

4.    Vietnamese people remember their dead during the festive season.

5.    The first day of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam is traditionally dedicated to family. While some visit temples to pray for peace, many others flock to cemeteries to offer incense in memory of their dead.

It is a day of remembrance, where the scent of burning incense symbolises the enduring bond between the living and their ancestors. Believing that the deceased share the same needs as the living, many families include contemporary snacks alongside their traditional offerings.

In certain regions, the tradition extends beyond family. Visitors light incense on graves of people unrelated to them. It's a gesture of respect and sincerity.

 

See scenes from Myanmar's Chinatown via BBC’s Burmese Service at website here.

We bring you now to Myanmar, in Yangon's Chinatown also known as Latha.

Before the 2021 military coup, this area was a famous tourist spot. The Lunar Year is still celebrated, but in a less festive way.  See photos and/or video at website above, as:

A Buddhist monk walks past a row of lion dancers

A woman selling Lunar New Year ornaments waits for customers

6.    In Indonesia, Lunar New Year is a celebration of cultural harmony

7.    In Indonesia, Lunar New Year is seen as a moment to reflect on centuries of cultural harmony in the country.

The historic Masjid Jamik Sumenep stands as a symbol of Chinese–local culture.

Built between 1779 and 1787 and designed by Lauw Piango, an architect of Chinese descent, the mosque blends Chinese and local architectural elements, reflecting a long tradition of mutual respect.

Historical records show Chinese migrants arrived in Sumenep around 1740 seeking refuge during unrest in Java.

They were welcomed by local rulers and communities. Many married locals, forming a Chinese-Muslim community.

Herman Susanto, 37, a Chinese Muslim, says he still celebrates Lunar New Year or Cap Go Meh, although not on a large scale. “Just as a form of respect. Many of my cousins are non-Muslim and celebrating the day,” he said.

 

OVER ENTHUSIASTIC 'LOHEI' CELEBRATIONS GET SINGAPORE STUDENTS IN TROUBLE

To mark the Lunar New Year, families in Singapore and Malaysia toss a fish salad for luck and prosperity. It's a fun - and messy - tradition known as lohei.

But a group of students at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have gotten into trouble for getting a little too carried away with their lohei.

A video of around 100 students engaging in what can only be described as a very noisy food fight was posted to TikTok a few days ago. In addition to tossing the salad, students can also be seen throwing plastic cups and salad at each other.

While some saw it as typical campus fun, many online were outraged by what they saw as food wastage and rowdy behaviour.

The university has since said that the students in the video will "receive counselling".

Not a very auspicious start to their year of the Horse...

 

 

 

ATTACHMENT TEN – FROM CNN 

CHINESE ZODIAC PREDICTIONS: WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2026 AS WE ENTER THE YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE

By Maggie Hiufu Wong  Feb 16, 2026

 

If there’s one common theme to emerge from the many Lunar New Year rituals attached to the annual celebration, from the food we eat to the activities we join, it’s the collective hope that we’re ushering in luck, prosperity and good vibes for ourselves and everyone around us.

This year, the world rings in the Year of the Horse on February 17 — the first day of the Lunar New Year in 2026. Which means many people are now looking to the stars for hints about what’s in store for the months to come.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a personal geomancer on your phone — we’ve done the cosmic legwork for you, rounding up this year’s Chinese zodiac fortune guide with the help of a seasoned master.

First, let’s start with the basics. The 12-year Chinese zodiac calendar cycle is represented by 12 different animals, in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

Your zodiac animal is determined by your year of birth, meaning those born on or after the first day of the lunar calendar in 2026 will fall under the Horse sign. (Check out the illustrations below to find out which animal represents the year you were born.)

But that’s only the beginning. For faithful followers of the system, a year isn’t just categorized by its animal. There’s also a complex sexagenary cycle made up of 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches.

Things are about to get hot

It’s complicated, but here’s a simplified explanation. Every year, a heavenly stem (one of five elements, which fall into the yin or yang category) is paired with an earthly branch (one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals).

This year, the heavenly stem is “Bing” (big sun) and the earthly branch is “Wu” (the Horse), making it the Year of the Fire Horse.

So what exactly does that mean? For deeper insights into the year ahead, we met up with Thierry Chow, a Hong Kong-based feng shui consultant who blends traditional Chinese geomancy with modern elements.

“Bing represents the big sun, and the Horse, as a zodiac animal, is also a fire sign. So this is probably one of the most fiery years you will get,” she says.

“Industries associated with the fire category will dominate — from technology to anything that generates energy and fire. Arts, fashion and cooking also rely heavily on fire. You can expect these sectors to get more attention.”

Chow says that fire influence is going to impact both the weather and people’s temperaments — so the world should be on the lookout for more heat-related disasters this year, as well as heightened tensions in already heated relationships.

“But for people who do need fire, this can be a very good year. Generally, people born in autumn and winter benefit from having more fire in their elements,” she adds.

In feng shui, everyone’s birth chart is composed of different elements — metal, wood, water, fire and earth. The art of feng shui and Chinese fortune-telling is often about balancing these elements in our bodies and in nature.

“There is no absolute good or bad,” says Chow. “One lesson I take from Confucian philosophy is that you can bring what you lack into your life through awareness and effort.”

MEET THE ‘GRAND DUKE OF JUPITER’

When it comes to individual luck, Chinese zodiac followers believe that their animal’s fortune depends on the positions of the stellar deities, collectively referred to as Tai Sui, that rotate parallel to and in the opposite direction of Jupiter in the sky.

Also known as the Grand Duke of Jupiter, Tai Sui is made up of 60 celestial deities, each of which controls a specific year for each zodiac sign in a 60-year cycle. Why Jupiter? Many centuries ago, Chinese astrologers realized it takes about 12 years for the planet to complete one orbit around the sun.

To calculate how each person will be affected in a particular year, a Chinese geomancy consultant looks at one’s birth chart, which is composed of a wide range of elements based on different Tai Sui stars’ positions on the day and time of their birth.

These combinations are important; some even use them to make huge life decisions for the year ahead, such as whether they should get married or start a business.

While many prefer to get a detailed consultation based on their own birth chart, most followers agree that analyzing the position of Tai Sui over each zodiac sign offers a general snapshot of the year to come.

For instance, if your zodiac sign is out of favor with Tai Sui this year, the experts say you might find yourself facing more disruptions and changes than usual.

But Chow is quick to add that the calendar is a rotating cycle and we should embrace changes with a positive mind.

“A year clashing with Tai Sui may sound scary,” she says. “But it often means a year full of changes — and changes bring opportunities to grow. Looking at it this way, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Traditionally, followers resolve these “clashes” by visiting Chinese temples and making offerings to Tai Sui. And while there’s no harm in seeking comfort through ritual, Chow notes that feng shui isn’t tied to any single religion.

Don’t want to go to a temple? She encourages those who clash with Tai Sui to attend joyful social occasions to absorb more positive energy.

“Attend happy events,” she says. “Surround yourself with people who boost your energy. Set boundaries. Protect your peace.”

With those wise words in mind, here’s Chow’s guidance on what each zodiac animal can expect during the year ahead.

HORSE

Cue the dramatic music — this is your moment in the spotlight. In 2026, all you Horses will be facing your “Ben Ming Nian” — your zodiac year matches your birth sign.

“Horses will be the protagonists of 2026, as big changes are coming for them,” says Chow.

That often means shake-ups across major life areas, from careers to relationships to family matters.

In traditional Chinese culture, people in their Ben Ming Nian are encouraged to “control the changes” by focusing on happy milestones, such as getting married and having babies.

“It’s good to remember the saying, ‘One joyful event can ward off three disasters,’” says Chow.

“If there aren’t many things they can manually change, they can simply cultivate happy energy within themselves.”

With so much happening in the coming months, Horses should take extra care of their mental and physical health.

“It can be picking up a new breathing exercise or meditation practice — anything that helps you regulate emotions and keep yourself from overthinking,” says Chow.

And there’s good news. She says big changes sometimes mean big money opportunities — and bigger growth.

Traveling to cooler destinations in the west and north may help improve luck, she adds.

“For Horses born before July in particular, they should be more careful before the summer and save the adventures for after July.”

GOAT

Congratulations, Goats! The cosmic signs are in your favor this year.

People born in the Year of the Goat will enjoy Liuhe Tai Sui (or Six Harmonies with Tai Sui) — one of the most auspicious relationships you can have with the Grand Jupiter.

“They will have a Guiren (Noble People) star on their path this year, which means they will have helpful friends and build strong connections,” says Chow.

“Guiren will offer timely support when they need it the most.”

Both work and relationships are set to run smoothly in 2026.

“It’s truly a blossoming year for Goats — when things are finally coming together,” she says.

But she’s quick to add that doesn’t mean you should just sit back and do nothing.

“It’s good to be open-minded and be thankful, practise enjoying the moment this year,” she says. “If you spend too much time worrying about the past and future, you’ll be wasting the present.

MONKEY

For Monkeys, the Year of the Fire Horse promises to be relatively stable and peaceful.

As a metal- and water-heavy zodiac sign, Monkeys’ luck will remain fairly balanced in 2026.

“Compared to last year, their overall luck will improve across family friendship and work relationships,” says Chow.

They may not feel the urge to travel as much as other signs this year — and that’s perfectly fine, as their luck doesn’t depend on their travel miles.

To maintain balance, Chow suggests incorporating more pastel oranges and pinks into their daily life.

“In feng shui philosophy, light colors carry the energy of Yang (the warm and bright side of Yin and Yang). When people look at you, they will see this brighter energy,” she says.

ROOSTER

It’s going to be a year filled with love for people born in the Year of the Rooster — but that doesn’t mean things are going to go smoothly.

In 2026, Roosters will have a Taohua Xing (Peach Blossom) star shining over them. This generally means there will be an influx of new connections — whether you’re walking down the street, attending a party or traveling to a new destination.

While often an optimistic sign, Chow urges Roosters to proceed with care.

“For those looking for love, it’s easier for them to meet potential love interests but they need to distinguish between good Taohua — which is also a metaphor for love interests in Chinese culture — and bad ones. For people who are in a relationship already, they do need to be cautious not to create trouble,” she says.

To avoid getting enmeshed in an “it’s complicated” romance, Roosters can consider wearing charms featuring bird and flower motifs.

“Having Taohua over them means they’ll have more active relationships at work. But at the same time, Roosters should watch out for petty people and gossip that may come with these relationships,” says Chow, who notes that Roosters will generally enjoy favorable health in the coming months.

DOG

In 2026, people born in the Year of the Dog will be under Sanhui Tai Sui, or the “Three Meetings of Tai Sui” star.

“It is a good star. It brings good luck in money, career and family,” says Chow.

This quiet but powerful stellar alignment means a year of stability and solid rewards for Dogs, especially in terms of finance.

For some Dogs, it may be the year that long-awaited promotion finally happens.

“Their energy with the family will be quite strong this year,” says Chow. “It means better communications among family members. They will likely be getting together more often and enjoying happy events together.”

The one thing Dogs should be mindful of? Stomach and digestive health.

PIG

After clashing with Tai Sui last year, people born in the Year of the Pig will catch a breather in 2026 as they’re finally in a positive Tai Sui position.

“It’s called Anhe Tai Sui, which means it’s in a secret union with Tai Sui,” says Chow. “Luck is coming back but slowly — across work, money, health and relationships.”

After a turbulent 2025, patience is key. The tide is turning, even if it doesn’t feel that way at the moment.

“People often feel the shifts in fortune closer to their birthdays,” says Chow. “If they’re born in the summer, they’ll feel the energy shifting in summer. If they’re born in the winter, they’ll have to wait a little bit longer.”

Chow says it’s important for Pigs to remember to give themselves time to heal from last year’s drama.

Wearing pastel pink, orange and yellow should be able to help bring joy and hope to their days, she adds.

RAT

Brace yourselves, it will be a significant — and demanding — year for people born in the Year of the Rat, as they will be clashing with Tai Sui (or Chong Tai Sui).

“Rats should pay very close attention to their health in 2026. The strong moving energy means there is going to be a lot of major changes ahead — from relationships to career paths,” says Chow.

In addition to adopting a new wellness routine or scheduling a health checkup, Chow suggests hitting the road.

“Going out more is better generally for Rats this year,” says Chow.

“When traveling, they could consider Asian destinations where there are more wood and fire elements, such as Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Warmer areas are quite good for them,” she adds.

And there is a silver lining. Chow says the Rat, being a water sign, balances the fire of the year quite well, potentially alleviating the clash.

Dressing in pink may further boost their luck this year, she adds.

“Remember, changes may result in bigger opportunities.”

OX

After enjoying an agreeable position with Tai Sui last year, Oxen will find themselves in a bit of a prickly position, making them more prone to small injuries and petty people.

“It’s not a major clash with Tai Sui. Oxen just need to be more mindful of relationships and choose partnerships carefully, either in business or in friendship,” says Chow.

Misunderstandings may arise more easily than usual.

Having a movement star hovering over them this year, Oxen should take this as an opportunity to travel more.

“They may need to keep traveling. They can also be more adventurous this year. Explore places you haven’t been. Take some boat rides,” says Chow.

TIGER

Good news for Tigers: the deity Hui Tai Sui is greeting Tai Sui in 2026 — a friendly alignment.

“This usually means you will be enjoying good relationships and good companionship in the Year of the Horse. It may suggest more opportunities at work,” says Chow.

“Good unions of all sorts.”

Single Tigers may even find love this year, if they are looking. But because they are wood and fire heavy, which will be amplified further in the Year of the Fire Horse, Tigers do need to watch out for potential stomach and digestion issues, as well as their eyesight.

“They have to be more mindful, especially during spring and summer,” says Chow.

Staying near water and dressing in cool tones will help soothe the fire as well, she adds.

RABBIT

People born in the Year of the Rabbit should proceed with caution this year.

“Rabbits are Xing Tai Sui this year (in a punishing relationship with Tai Sui). They have to be more careful with people they are in love with,” says Chow.

That doesn’t mean cutting all ties abruptly. Rabbits just have to be observant before committing to people around them this year.

“They can feel more challenges at work. They will feel less help coming their way,” says Chow.

What they could do is to wear metallic colors and accessories to help balance their own element — wood.

“Wood grows fire, whereas metal suppresses wood. It will help balance the elements,” says the geomancer.

DRAGON

With Yima Sing, the Traveling Horse star, watching over them in 2026, people born in the Year of the Dragon can expect the coming months to be full of movement.

“It’s an excellent year for travels, moving homes or offices and changing jobs,” says Chow.

She says that Dragons may also get promotions at work in 2026.

But a word of caution. Those who have Yima Xing watching over them should avoid staying still.

“If they force themselves to stay put this year, they will often feel antsy and may be prone to injuring themselves, but far less aggressively than if they were clashing with Tai Sui,” Chow explains.

Health-wise, Dragons, the earthy zodiac sign, will need to watch out for digestion and stomach issues — as fire nurtures earth, and an excess of fire can overwhelm the earth organs (stomach and digestive system) in your body.

In other words: Try not to overindulge too much this year.

SNAKE

After facing their “Ben Ming Nian” (the same zodiac year as their birth sign) in 2025, Snakes will be relieved to hear that they will have no direct relationship with Tai Sui in 2026.

This usually signals a calmer year — but Chow urges caution.

Snakes are a very fiery zodiac sign. So the year may still feel intense. Work requires extra vigilance.

“It’s very easy to lose what they have gained this year. One moment you feel like you have worked hard and gained what you earned, the next moment somebody else may take the credit,” says Chow.

To remedy this, Snakes should try to balance their elements — avoid adding more fire to an already heated year by avoiding the colors red, pink and purple.

Stick with blue, white and metallic colors. Snakes could also travel to cooler places with oceans and rivers to counter some of that heat, adds Chow.

 

ATTACHMENT ELEVEN – FROM THE L.A. TIMES

THE YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE IS A TIME TO CHALLENGE AUTHORITY. WHAT ELSE IS IN STORE FOR 2026?

By Ada Tseng  Feb. 10, 2026 3 AM PT

 

Henry Chen, born in 1990, the Year of the Horse, never took Chinese horoscopes too seriously. But people around him always have.

When Chen’s father was a kid in the countryside of Gansu, China, he was involved in an accident where he was almost trampled by a horse-drawn cart. He could have easily been killed but, according to family lore, the horses spared his life. It was as if they instinctively side-stepped his body to keep him safe.

Since then, Chen’s father has always felt a spiritual connection to horses, which only intensified when Henry, his oldest son, was born in the Year of the Horse.

Later as a young adult, Chen worked as an assistant to an award-winning Hollywood director who not only loved horses but was an avid believer of the Chinese zodiac. Being a Horse endeared him to her, he believes, and as an added benefit, his grandmother (also a Horse) started giving her a personalized zodiac reading every new year. The director felt that she could trust Chen’s work ethic, as Horses are known for being tireless and driven.

Now Chen admits that he does identify with many of the Horse traits. “I think Horses tend to act first and charge forward,” he says, “and deal with the consequences afterwards.”

Feb. 17 brings the Year of the Horse, seventh in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac cycle. Horses were born in 2014, 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966, 1954 and so on.

According to superstition, a person born in a particular year takes on the traits of that year’s animal. The year itself also takes on the spirit of the animal. Each year is also assigned one of five elements — metal, water, wood, fire and earth — that rotate alongside the animal sign. Fire, which is this year’s element, tends to magnify the animal’s personality.

 

WHAT TRAITS DO HORSES HAVE?

According to astrologer Laura Lau, co-author of “The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes,” the Horse personality is strong, confident and charismatic. Horses crave freedom and independence. They’re hard-working, action-oriented and instinctual, and they tend to learn by doing. But if they go down a path that isn’t working, they’re quick to pivot. This makes them flexible, adaptable and forgiving. But they can also be challenging for people — especially authority figures — who are trying to pin them down.

Michelle Yu, an on-air simulcast host at the Santa Anita Park race track, confirms that many of the Zodiac Horse characteristics are akin to qualities of real horses.

 “They’re beguiling, social and bold,” she says of the animals. And they’re intuitive. For example, horses that are hard for adults to handle will often exude extra kindness and attention when around children, she says.

They’re also impulsive. “Anyone who’s worked with horses knows that one minute, a horse could be happy, and the next minute, they could snap and start breathing fire,” Yu says.

She explains that the only horse trait that might diverge from the Zodiac is the need for independence. Horses are herd animals, and they like being around each other.

But they do have minds of their own, she says. And they’re competitive, especially when racing. “You can see the horses look the other horses in the eye” at the starting line, she said, “and they have the will to win.”

Bianca Castagnaro, also a Horse, is the director of enrichment at Lunch Brunch, a culinary education program for K-12 students in Southern California. Born and raised in New York, she describes her Sicilian family as very superstitious.

Castagnaro says she’s always had an independent spirit and remembers being confident moving across the country to live in Los Angeles in her mid-20s. She feels stifled when she can’t be trusted to do things on her own.

“I’m always like, ‘This is what I’m going to do,’” she says. “I’m not going to ask. I don’t want people to get in the way of my plans.”

 

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT IN A FIRE HORSE YEAR?

With the element of fire as an intensifier, the Fire Horse is the daredevil and thrill-seeker of the lunar cycle. “It’s a time for big change and big emotions,” Lau says.

“The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes” was first written in 1979 by Lau’s late mother, Theodora Lau, a noted astrologist. Laura Lau has updated the guide, but she still reads her mother’s old notes. “My mother loved dissecting politics through Chinese astrology,” she says.

The last Year of the Fire Horse year was 1966. The Vietnam War was escalating. The civil rights movement was at a crossroads. The Black Panther Party was founded. And the year marked the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in China.

If 1966 is any blueprint, we can expect a breakdown of long-accepted hierarchies and systems of authority.

Jing Gao, creator of the popular Chinese chili sauce Fly By Jing, has garnered millions of views on TikTok with her Year of the Horse explainers, where she discusses Lunar New Year feng shui and how each animal will be affected by the year of the Fire Horse.

In one of her videos, she points out that this year’s Lunar New Year also falls on a solar eclipse day, with Saturn and Neptune conjunct in Aries a few days later. “This is super intense energy,” she says, “and it’s going to mark an important moment in human history.”

Having a baby girl in the Year of the Horse has been historically feared. Lau notes that in her mother’s writings back in the 1960s — when East Asian societies were more conservative — she had warned against having a girl during the Year of the Horse because she would be hard to control.

But over time as social norms changed, so did attitudes toward assertive female Horses. If a child needs to make their own mistakes in order to learn from them, it can be difficult for a parent to watch, Lau said. But these qualities — strong, decisive, hard-working and intuitive — are all positive.

“Once a Horse learns how to focus, they can be incredible leaders,” says Lau. “Those who have seen and experienced the extremes can be more persuasive.”

Ava Lee, a content creator behind the Eastern-medicine wellness and beauty brand ByAva, recently learned she is expecting her first child in 2026. She didn’t plan on having a Fire Horse, but now that she’s pregnant, people are telling her to be prepared for an extremely active baby. “I think I’m in trouble,” she jokes.

But Lee was also heartened to learn from her acupuncturist that she, as a Sheep, is one of the best animals to parent a Horse baby. A Sheep is nurturing, sensitive and empathetic, and the Horse baby brings energy and momentum into the Sheep parent’s world.

 

HOW WILL THE YEAR OF THE HORSE AFFECT YOUR RELATIONSHIPS IN 2026?

According to superstition, each animal has its animal friends and its animal enemies. The animal friends will have a lucky and productive year, while the animal enemies might want to take caution.

This year’s Horse friends, who make up a Triangle of Affinity on the Zodiac circle, are the Tiger and Dog. These are high-spirited, action-oriented animals that also embrace new experiences, explains Lau.

The Horse enemies are the Rat and the Ox. These animals are big planners, she explains. “They’re more rigid and detail-oriented,” she says. “The Horse is like, ‘Let’s play it by ear,’ and that drives these other personalities crazy.”

Also, according to superstition, a person’s own animal year is thought to be a time for guardedness. Believers will often take precautions, including wearing a red-string bracelet or red underwear throughout the year for protection.

But Lau wonders whether Horses will be able to avoid conflict, due to their inherent independent natures. “Horses tend to get along with each other,” she said. “They all go in their own directions.”

However, the Horse year is a notoriously challenging one for romance, says Lau. The charismatic and passionate Horse is the Casanova of the cycle, falling in and out of love quickly. “Some will find that thrilling,” Lau says. “Others, will be like, ‘No, thank you.’”

The Horse has a lot of youthful energy. They’re not afraid to rebuild. “Horses flare up and die down, flare up and die down,” said Lau. “It’s like being around two people who need to fight. Sometimes the foreboding quiet is exhausting, and you’d rather them just yell at each other.”

 

SHOULD YOU TRY TO TAME A HOT-BLOODED HORSE?

Historically, taming a horse meant “breaking it,” explains Junko Goda, a horseback archer who was Bae Doona’s stunt riding double in Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon.” The horse’s hot-bloodedness was something to overpower. But in recent years, horse training has been reframed around horse psychology, with emphasis on observing and guiding the horse, as opposed to dominating it.

“What makes a horse act up? Fear, mostly,” said Hollywood horse stunt coordinator Ryan Sturz. “The fear can come from something that’s happening in the moment, which means they’re not ready for that moment. Training and exposure can fix that.

“Fear can also come from poor training or a bad prior experience, and that sometimes can’t be trained away,” he adds. “Sometimes the trauma is just too big.”

The Fire Horse comes with a lot of momentum, which can propel stagnated dreams into action. Both Lau and Gao, while bracing for a tumultuous year, remind us that 1966 was also a breakthrough year for music and creativity.

But the main challenge of the Fire Horse year is burnout. Gao refers to Daoist teachings that suggest that fire is not overcome by greater fire. “What burns hottest consumes itself first,” she explains. “Water prevails not by force, but by cooling, surrounding and redirecting.”

Over the years, Chen, now a creative producer for Beast Games, has learned a lot about Horse characteristics, including the more challenging ones. “We never stop moving and can prioritize thinking about work over other areas in life,” he says.

After getting a Zodiac reading from his mother for the upcoming year, he says he is focusing on approaching career decisions with a calm head. He’s working on honest communication with his wife to avoid misunderstandings. He’s been advised to avoid unnecessary risk. And when his family tells him to wear a red-string bracelet for the entirety of the Horse year, he’ll wear it.

Even though Chen still doesn’t actively believe in the Zodiac, he respects it.

“Because if I don’t, and something happens, I’ll be like, ‘Why didn’t I just listen?’” he says.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TWELVE – FROM THE NATIONAL POST (CANADA)

CHINA EXPANDING AID FOR RUSSIA’S WAR, SAY WESTERN OFFICIALS

President Xi Jinping has become more assertive and confident in his support for Russia’s Vladimir Putin

By Alex Wickham, Alberto Nardelli and Colum Murphy, Bloomberg News   Published Feb 14, 2026

 

China increased its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine in 2025 and is likely to deepen cooperation with Moscow further this year, Western officials said, casting doubt on efforts by European leaders to improve relations with Beijing.

President Xi Jinping has become more assertive and confident in his supporting Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and attempts by the Europeans to persuade their Chinese counterparts to help end the war have become more challenging over the past year, the officials said.

Russia’s war in Ukraine wouldn’t be able to continue without ongoing Chinese support, particularly the export of dual-use components and critical minerals used in Russian drone production, the officials said. They described Beijing as the key facilitator of the war.

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“China could call Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow,” US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said during a panel late Friday at the Munich Security Conference. “This war is being completely enabled by China.”

The private assessments, shared with Bloomberg on condition of anonymity, are more pessimistic than most Western leaders’ public statements on China’s role in the Russia-Ukraine war.

On Saturday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi gave an address to the Munich conference in which he reiterated his country’s position on Ukraine, saying China is not a party that’s directly involved and “doesn’t have the final say” on any political settlement. Instead, Beijing was continuing to press for peace talks.

 “China will, in our own way, give our full support for the peace process,” Wang said.

In a meeting with Wang at the conference, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin expects Beijing to use its influence over Russia and push Moscow towards ending its war in Ukraine, according to people familiar with the talks.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also called out China for supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine.

 “Moscow is not acting alone. It is pursuing its revisionist agenda by cooperating with China, Iran, and North Korea,” Pistorius told an audience in Munich on Saturday. “It is trying to use international fora such as BRICS and turn them into anti-Western blocs.”

Wang also met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. China has sought to maintain cordial relations with Ukraine despite its refusal to condemn Putin’s action in the conflict. Wang told Sybiha that Xi “actively supports peace talks,” according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

 “China never stirs up trouble or takes advantage of situations for its gain, nor accepts shifting blame or shirking responsibility,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

 

DISTRACTING AND DIVIDING THE WEST

Chinese officials may have initially been concerned by the economic impact of Russia’s war but they have since come to the view that it benefits Beijing because it means Europe is focused on Ukraine rather than Asia, and relations between Europe and the US have become strained, the people said.

 

“These frank reflections on China’s integral role in providing the materials that support Russia’s war machine beg the question of how sustainable it is to keep up the pretense that China can be a trusted or serious trading partner for the UK,” said Sam Goodman, a senior policy director at the China Strategic Risks Institute.

European leaders have overlooked their misgivings about China’s role in prolonging the war to improve relations with Beijing in the face of trade tensions with US President Donald Trump. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited China for meetings with Xi in recent weeks, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is due in Beijing later this month. Trump is also expected to meet Xi in China in April.

European leaders have argued that only by engaging with Xi can they hope to influence his position on security issues. Still, they have also used their visits to Beijing to pursue closer trade ties.

China has helped blunt the effects of Western sanctions since the earliest days of the war, buying Russian oil and selling dual-use goods to its neighbor. A Bloomberg News investigation last year reported how Moscow had capitalized on its friendly ties with Beijing to skirt Western sanctions and acquire the know-how and capability to build drones to attack Ukraine.

Trade between the two sides has increased to $253 billion in 2024 from $152 billion in 2021. Over that period, Russia rose to China’s fifth-largest trading partner from its 10th.

China and Russia have a long and complicated relationship, drifting from allies to bitter rivals during the Cold War before Xi came to power in 2012 and struck up a personal relationship with Putin. While the Western officials said suspicions lingered between Beijing and Moscow, they assessed that their incentives to work together outweighed their differences.

Still, Wang reaffirmed China’s view that “the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously,” a reference to Russia’s claims that it has been forced to counter NATO expansion on its Western flank.

 

 

ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN – FROM THE DIPLOMAT

WHAT THE HISTORY OF CHINA-RUSSIA RELATIONS MAY TELL US ABOUT THEIR FUTURE

As China’s history shows, no matter if it is Tsarist, Bolshevik, Soviet, or “democratic,” Russia’s strategic and geopolitical logic guiding its behavior remain unchanged.

By Konrad Szatters   February 10, 2026

 

At a time when China and Russia are increasingly declaring a durable, even “no-limits” partnership, it may be tempting to interpret their relations as marked by friendship and strategic trust. This assumption appears logical given their shared and long-standing opposition to the West (especially the United States) across economic, military, and ideological domains. Such a perception is particularly common among European observers and media outlets, some of whom tend to interpret international and bilateral relations through liberal and normative lenses, assuming that all around the world they function in ways comparable to those within the European Union and broader West. Yet this assumption significantly understates the complexity of China-Russia relations, especially from Beijing’s historical point of view. 

In China’s case, history is not an academic backdrop but a practical guide to strategic planning, especially regarding foreign policy. Xi Jinping himself explicitly highlights the importance of “macro-historical perspectives” (大历史观), while the Chinese political discourse and public perceptions are shaped by selective readings of the past that emphasize vulnerability, exploitation, and dangers of establishing unequal partnerships. These historical lessons are not confined to textbooks or museums. They are being actively reproduced in official narratives, elite debates, and popular education, serving as warnings against strategic complacency and lack of vigilance. 

Few historical frameworks and narratives are as influential in this regard as the “century of humiliation.” It frames a period roughly between the beginning of the first Opium War (1839) and the foundation of the People’s Republic of China (1949), when China suffered significant military defeats, lost sovereign territories, and was forced into unequal treaties by foreign powers. The notion of “century of humiliation” remains central to how Chinese leaders and society conceptualize sovereignty, security, and international cooperation. 

While the Western records of the “century of humiliation,” for very good reasons, focus primarily on the actions of European powers (e.g., Great Britain or France) and Japan, Russia’s role in this traumatic historical experience is often treated as secondary or overlooked altogether. A closer examination, however, suggests that this view deserves reconsideration.

UNEQUAL BEGINNINGS

As Sarah Paine, a U.S. Naval War College professor specializing in military history, noted, China and Russia fully discovered one another relatively late in their histories, around the mid-19th century, while operating from very different positions of strength. It was the Tsarist Russia that had a clear upper hand over its underdeveloped and internally divided neighbor.

The crucial event in that period was the Second Opium War (1856-1860). As the Qing dynasty struggled to cope with simultaneous internal rebellions (predominantly the Taiping Rebellion) and growing Western military pressure, Tsarist Russia came to the “rescue” and presented itself as a diplomatic intermediary offering to help China with the European imperial powers. However, in practice, Russia de facto supported the U.K. and France in forcing the Qing dynasty to make significant concessions culminating in the “unequal” Treaties of Aigun (1858) and Peking (1860). Under these documents, vast parts of the Chinese Manchuria were transferred to Tsarist Russia, effectively securing Russian access to the Pacific coastline. 

In the same year, 1860, Russian authorities established a military outpost on these newly acquired lands. That outpost would gradually evolve into the city now known as Vladivostok – a name that translates literally as the “ruler of the East.” The message could not have been clearer: at a moment when China was weakened by internal divisions and foreign conquests, Tsarist Russia literally inscribed its claim to regional dominance directly onto the map, signaling its arrival as the leading continental power of the East.

These episodes remain central to current Chinese narratives concerning sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international cooperation. They may also serve as a broader strategic lesson that recurs in China’s political and historical assessments of Russia: any restraint toward foreign interventions in China should not be confused with Russian friendship or respect for Chinese sovereignty – in other words, the enemy of my enemy does not necessarily need to be my friend. Tsarist Russia’s blindsiding actions during the Opium Wars period thus laid the groundwork for a perception of Russia as a power willing to exploit China’s vulnerability while simultaneously portraying itself as a friendly, stabilizing, or even protective force.

This logic was also reinforced by the events at the turn of the 20th century. After China’s defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), Russia played a significant role in the 1895 Triple Intervention (along with France and Germany) that forced Japan to relinquish its territorial gains on China’s Liaodong Peninsula. From Beijing’s perspective, this initially appeared as diplomatic support against Japanese expansion. However, as compensation for their intervention, Western powers quickly demanded concessions in other parts of China’s territory (e.g., Jiaozhou Bay, Guangzhou Bay, Weihaiwei). Russia managed to obtain a lease of the Liaodong Peninsula, not only securing further territory, but also the privileges to build the Chinese Eastern Railway, thus deepening its strategic influence in the region. 

In Chinese historical interpretations, the key takeaway is that Russia’s alleged support for China in this case was in reality aimed at preventing Japan, a growing rival power, from consolidating continental influence, thereby advancing and solidifying Russia’s own strategic position at China’s expense – again.

BOLSHEVIK PROMISES AND THEIR REALITY

The Bolshevik Revolution (1917-1922) initially promised a break with this pattern. Its rhetoric explicitly rejected the concept of imperialism and appealed to Chinese elites searching for alternatives to Western (and Tsarist Russian) conquests and exploitations. As a sign of this, the deputy commissioner for foreign affairs for Soviet Russia, Lev Karakhan, issued the first Karakhan Manifesto (1919). It pledged to renounce past unequal treaties and return territories and the Eastern Railway seized previously from China by the Tsar. 

However, as the civil war went on between the Reds and Whites in Russia, and the tide started to turn for the benefit of the Bolsheviks, they decided to revise the document. Thus, the so-called second Karakhan Manifesto, presented to the Chinese side in 1920, did not include the generous renouncements promised previously, especially regarding the Eastern Railway. Two years after this, in 1922, the Bolsheviks finally emerged victorious from the revolution and managed to consolidate their power in Moscow, Soviet Russia’s new capital. As the situation stabilized internally, they started thinking more geopolitically than ideologically, and previous promises to China were further diluted, delayed, or reframed. The promised Bolshevik concessions in China remained largely intact until the mid-20th century, years after Western powers had begun dismantling theirs.

 

In Chinese historical memory, the two Karakhan Manifestoes may highlight the gap between revolutionary rhetoric and strategic behavior. While Soviet Russia’s actions remained largely driven by similar geopolitical interests as the Tsarist Russia, the narrative of Sino-Soviet friendship nonetheless took off and was sustained in the official discourse of both states. This early myth of fraternal relations, despite its largely transactional reality, shaped how cooperation between the two nations was later framed – but it would prove far less durable than its language suggested.

THE SINO-SOVIET SPLIT

The assumption that shared ideology and fraternity could permanently bind China and Soviet Russia collapsed after Stalin’s death in 1953. The PRC’s founder and leader at that time, Mao Zedong, increasingly concluded that Moscow did not truly want a strong, independent China – one capable of challenging Soviet Russia’s leadership – within the socialist camp. Disputes over ideology, nuclear cooperation, and foreign policy priorities escalated, transforming proclaimed ideological alignment into a semi-open rivalry.

By the 1960s, the Sino-Soviet split had shattered the illusion of fraternal unity altogether. Armed clashes along the Ussuri River in 1969 between two socialist, nuclear-armed nations stand as a clear demonstration of how quickly proclaimed brotherhood can give way to confrontation once ideologies differ and mistrust deepens. For Chinese strategists, this episode became a lasting warning that neither shared ideology nor formal alliance commitments are sufficient to prevent conflict when core interests diverge.

This rupture had enduring consequences for China’s strategic outlook. It reinforced the primacy of autonomy, flexibility, and economic development over bloc politics, allowing China to open up to the Western world. It also shaped China’s later approach to great power relations and underpinned its long-standing reluctance to enter binding alliances – visible today in China’s “sovereign nationalist“ approach to international cooperation. In this sense, the collapse of the Sino-Soviet “brotherhood” did not merely end a single partnership, but helped define the strategic principles that continue to inform China’s foreign policy today.

WHAT THIS HISTORY MEANS TODAY

Taken together, these historical events point to a consistent logic in China-Russia relations. Cooperation between them emerges repeatedly, but almost always under narrow and temporary conditions shaped by short-term strategic alignment. In spite of this, each phase of cooperation is accompanied by exalted narratives – ones of imperial diplomatic support, socialist brotherhood, or today’s “no-limits” friendship – only to weaken or collapse once interests start diverging. From Beijing’s historical experience, this may be seen not as a collection of isolated episodes, but a recurring, logical pattern of Russia’s behavior vis-à-vis China.

This may help understand China’s approach to Russia today. Beijing has clear incentives to cooperate with Moscow, particularly in balancing and countering the U.S. influence and challenging aspects of the existing Western-led international order. Yet this cooperation remains cautious and carefully calibrated. Russia’s growing economic dependence on China, its weakened strategic and diplomatic position due to the war in Ukraine, and the long-term structural imbalance between the two further reinforces Beijing’s restraints. China’s engagement with Russia, in spite of its lofty narrative, may therefore be understood simply as hedging – cooperation without commitment, alignment without trust.

 

China-Russia relations therefore cannot be seen through the normative lens of how partnerships or bilateral cooperation function in the West. As China’s history shows, no matter if it is Tsarist, Bolshevik, Soviet, or “democratic,” Russia’s strategic and geopolitical logic guiding its behavior remain unchanged. Similar to the past, today’s China-Russia relations are also built predominantly on interests that happen to align at this point in time, even if they are surrounded by exalted narratives of long-term friendship and cooperation. 

History shows, however, that alliances built solely on interests are fragile by definition – in the end, interests may change, even overnight. In the case of China-Russia relations, the question is not whether such a change will occur, but rather when. Although the timing is uncertain, one thing seems clear: the “no-limits” partnership does have its limits, even if they have yet to fully reveal themselves.

Guest Author

Konrad Szatters

Konrad Szatters is a China analyst and lead editor at CHOICE (China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe), focusing on China’s political discourse and foreign policy. He also serves as a lead researcher for the Ukrainian Heritage Diplomacy in China within the HER-UKR Jean Monnet Network project at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. 

 

 

ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN – FROM MARDI GRAS AI Overview

Mardi Gras 2026 is on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. As the pinnacle of the Carnival season, this "Fat Tuesday" features major parades in New Orleans, with celebrations beginning as early as January 6 (Twelfth Night) and intensifying in the weeks leading up to the final day, February 17, which coincides with Presidents' Day weekend. 

Key 2026 Mardi Gras Details:

·         Main Events: The biggest parades in New Orleans, such as Zulu and Rex, take place on Fat Tuesday, February 17, 2026.

·         Parade Schedule: Major parades in New Orleans begin in earnest on February 11 and run through February 17

. Notable early parades include Krewe du Vieux on January 31 and other weekend parades, according to Mardi Gras New Orleans

·         Location: While New Orleans is the epicenter, celebrations also take place in other Louisiana cities like Baton Rouge, and in Gulf Shores, AL, with a parade scheduled for February 17.

·         Tips: The 2026 celebration falls on the same weekend as Presidents' Day (Feb 16, 2026), making it a prime time for a long weekend visit. 

 

ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN – FROM 1440

FAT TUESDAY ARRIVES

 

 

Cities around the world celebrate Mardi Gras today, the final day before the Christian fasting and religious observance period of Lent begins. French for "Fat Tuesday," Mardi Gras caps Carnival, which starts annually Jan. 6—the 12th day after Christmas—and ends the day before Ash Wednesday. Celebrations include weeks of parades, masked balls, and king cake-filled gatherings. 

New Orleans is considered the US epicenter for festivities, drawing roughly 1 million visitors and generating around $900M in economic impact (although Mobile, Alabama, claims the first American Mardi Gras in 1703). Social clubs known as krewes, like Rex and Zulu, roll through the city in elaborate floats, tossing beads and doubloons. Roughly 2.5 million pounds of trash are produced each year, including nearly 100,000 pounds of beads, prompting the development of new biodegradable throws. 

Mardi Gras evolved from ancient Roman festivals into a global event, from Rio de Janeiro's samba parades to Venice's masked balls. See photos here and here. 

 

ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN – FROM PEOPLE.COM

WHAT IS FAT TUESDAY? ALL ABOUT MARDI GRAS' HISTORY AND MEANING

Fat Tuesday has been observed since ancient Roman times

By Alyssa Modos    Published on February 17, 2026 07:00AM EST

 

If you’ve heard of Mardi Gras, you’ve heard of Fat Tuesday.

Known as Mardi Gras in French-speaking cultures, Fat Tuesday is also called Carnival Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday and Pancake Tuesday. Regardless of the moniker by which it’s referred, the holiday revolves around feasts, parties and parades before the observance of Lent begins.

Fat Tuesday is celebrated around the globe, from New Orleans and Paris to Rio de Janeiro and Venice. Though the holiday has deep religious roots, it’s become a cultural phenomenon in the past century, now widely associated with beaded necklaces, king cakes, masquerade masks and enthusiastic alcohol consumption.

So what exactly is Fat Tuesday, and when was the holiday first observed? Here’s everything to know about Fat Tuesday and how it’s celebrated today.

 

WHAT IS FAT TUESDAY?

Fat Tuesday, or Mardis Gras, is a holiday observed the day before Lent begins. It’s the final day of the Carnival season, which began on Jan. 6.

Lent, the 40-day fasting and penance period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, is a Christian tradition that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter. Christians often give up meat and other indulgences during Lent, so before the six weeks of sacrifice begin, they feast on decadence and partake in debauchery on Fat Tuesday.

 

WHY IS FAT TUESDAY ALSO CALLED SHROVE TUESDAY, CARNIVAL TUESDAY AND PANCAKE TUESDAY?

Carnival, which comes from the Latin words carnem lavare (“to take away the flesh”), marks a period of indulging in a final bout of merriment, casting sins from the flesh and preparing the spirit for Lent. Carnival began on Jan. 6 and ends with Fat Tuesday on Feb. 17, the day before Ash Wednesday.

The week leading up to Lent is known as Shrovetide, and the last day of Shrovetide is Shrove Tuesday. During Shrovetide, Christians go to confession to be absolved of their sins, or to be shriven before Lent begins.

For Christians in the U.K., preparing for Lent includes making pancakes to use up their stores of eggs, milk, butter and other foods forbidden during the 40-day abstinence period. Observed similarly in France, Mardi Gras celebrators make waffles and crepes as part of their feasts.

 

WHEN IS FAT TUESDAY?

The exact date of Fat Tuesday changes year to year depending on the date of Easter Sunday, which is determined by the first full moon after the spring equinox. Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday.

This year, Fat Tuesday is on Feb. 17.

 

HOW DO PEOPLE CELEBRATE FAT TUESDAY?

Fat Tuesday is celebrated with lavish feasts, boisterous masquerade parties, exuberant parades and enthusiastic drinking and dancing.

People often wear purple, gold and green, dress in costume and don masks and beaded necklaces to add to the air of jubilance and revelry. King cakes are a staple at feasts, and elaborate parades and balls are thrown by groups called krewes.

 

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF FAT TUESDAY?

According to historians, Fat Tuesday dates back thousands of years to ancient Roman times.

It was originally observed in honor of harvest season, but once Christianity began spreading throughout Europe, the holiday was appropriated from the original pagan tradition into a time of indulgence before Lent.

Though deeply rooted in religion, the holiday was celebrated similarly as it is today — with partying, feasting, masquerading and dancing.

Fat Tuesday is now a global holiday, with European colonizers having brought their traditions to their occupied lands.

 

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE KING CAKE?

Before Fat Tuesday was celebrated by Christians in ancient Rome, people observed the pagan holiday Saturnalia, which was a winter solstice celebration of the god of agriculture, Saturn, to usher in a prosperous harvest season. As part of the revelry, cakes were baked with a bean hidden inside them, and whoever found the bean was declared “king of the day.”

When Lenten celebrations blended with pagan Saturnalia traditions, the cake with a hidden bean morphed into the modern king cake. To honor Christianity’s three wise men on Three Kings’ Day — the start of the Carnival season celebration on Jan. 6 — observers partook in feasts featuring the king cake.

Enjoyed throughout the festivities leading up to Lent today, king cakes now have a little baby figurine hidden inside to symbolize Jesus, rather than a bean to honor the harvest. Like the ancient tradition, the person who finds the baby is crowned queen or king of the Carnival.

In certain cultures, the crowned individual is also bestowed with a duty for the following year’s celebration, such as preparing the king cake or hosting the party.

 

 

ATTACHMENT SEVENTEEN – FROM SMITHSONIAN

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE MARDI GRAS INDIANS

For more than a century, New Orleans’ Black residents have donned Native-inspired attire to celebrate Carnival

BY Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton - History Correspondent   February 21, 2023

 

When Mardi Gras Indians parade down the streets of New Orleans during the city’s annual Carnival celebrations, onlookers experience a whirlwind of sensory stimulation. Dressed in handcrafted, Native American-inspired “suits,” participants chant and sing call-and-response songs, punctuating these vocals with the sounds of tambourines, cowbells, drums and other percussion instruments. The energy in the air is electric, whether the Indians are dancing or staging friendly competitions with rival “tribes,” as the dozens of social groups are known.

Despite its name, the Mardi Gras Indian tradition is a distinctly African American one (a fact that has sparked questions of whether the moniker is appropriate and, more broadly, if the practice is a form of cultural appropriation). The most popular theory suggests its roots stretch back to the late 19th century, when Black New Orleanians started dressing up as Native Americans to pay homage to the Indigenous people who’d helped them escape from slavery and survive in the Louisiana wilderness. But the Indians’ exact origins are the subject of debate, as much of the relevant history was passed down orally.

For much of their existence, the Indians were an insular, secretive and loosely defined coalition known chiefly to the Black community. While the tribes have entered the public eye in recent decades, they still keep some secrets to themselves. Before masking, or donning eye-catching custom suits and gathering in the streets, participants must learn songs and their meaning, lingo, signals, and—above all—how to embody the Mardi Gras Indian spirit.

Scholars generally agree that the Mardi Gras Indian tradition is linked to early encounters between the region’s Native and Black communities. Founded by the French in 1718, the city of New Orleans stands on land originally inhabited by the Chitimacha Tribe. As early as 1719, European colonizers brought enslaved people from the western coast of Africa to the nascent port city, which eventually became a hub of the United States slave trade.

 

While Africans made up the majority of enslaved people in Louisiana, research conducted by Leila K. Blackbird, a historian at the University of Chicago, found that Native and mixed-race people of Black and Native heritage constituted 20 percent of the state’s enslaved population during the antebellum period.

The relationship between Louisiana’s Indigenous and African populations was sometimes fraught, as state officials “frequently employed Black militiamen in their fights against Native American tribes, just as they employed Native Americans to hunt down African runaways,” writes Jeroen Dewulf, an expert on European studies at the University of California, Berkeley, in From the Kingdom of Kongo to Congo Square: Kongo Dances and the Origins of the Mardi Gras Indians.

 

Still, the two marginalized groups found ways of supporting each other, with local tribes such as the Choctaw, the Seminole and the Chickasaw helping enslaved Africans escape from plantations and live off the land. Some of these fugitives from slavery took refuge in maroon camps (makeshift settlements in Louisiana’s swamps and bayous), while others sought shelter with Native communities, which then assimilated the Africans into their tribes.

One theory proposed by Dewulf, among other scholars, connects the Mardi Gras Indians to dances performed in the style of Kongolese warriors in New Orleans’ Congo Square. Between the 1740s and 1840s, enslaved and free Black people, Creoles of mixed European and African descent, and Native Americans convened in the square on Sundays for afternoons of revelry. Other sources cite the blending of African and Indigenous traditions that presumably took place when Native Americans sheltered escapees, as well as reports of free Black people attending Buffalo Bill’s Wild West shows in the late 19th century.

Mardi Gras itself dates to New Orleans’ earliest days, or perhaps even before the city’s establishment. An annual event that begins on the Feast of the Epiphany and culminates in parades on Shrove Tuesday (or Fat Tuesday), the last day before Lent, the tradition builds on medieval European Carnival celebrations.

One of the first documented instances of Mardi Gras in New Orleans comes from Marc-Antoine Caillot’s 1730 account of a masquerade. But the Louisiana State Museum claims the Mardi Gras tradition stretches back even further, to 1699, when French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville celebrated his arrival at the mouth of the Mississippi River on Fat Tuesday.

While people of color initially participated in the masked balls held to celebrate Mardi Gras, the Spanish, who assumed control of Louisiana in 1762, pushed to exclude them from the festivities as early as 1781. The tradition faltered under Spanish rule, but after Louisiana became a state in 1812, Mardi Gras experienced a resurgence, with street parades becoming commonplace by the 1830s. As the Commercial Bulletin reported in 1838, “The principal streets were traversed by a masquerade company on horseback and in carriages. … A delightful throng followed on the heels of the cavalcade as it marched through our city suburbs, and wherever it went the procession raised a perfect hubbub and jubilee.”

 

Local businessmen established the city’s first “krewe” (a term used to describe the private clubs and organizations formed to celebrate Carnival), the Mistick Krewe of Comus, in 1857. Though the outbreak of the Civil War put a temporary hold on Mardi Gras, the tradition returned after the conflict’s end, with many krewes adopting imagery of kings and queens as a way of reinforcing white supremacy. They also perpetuated racist stereotypes by designing costumes that associated Black men with gorillas.

Excluded from mainstream Carnival celebrations, New Orleans’ Black community cultivated its own traditions, including the Mardi Gras Indians. Archival evidence traces the practice to the 1880s, when the Seventh Ward’s Becate Batiste founded the Creole Wild West tribe. But researchers argue it could go back even further.

 

“There are lots of questions—I think open questions—about the prehistory of the organizations we know as Mardi Gras Indians that take us all the way back, potentially, into the 16th century and the Kongo Kingdom,” says Bryan Wagner, a literary scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. After growing up in New Orleans, he’s spent the past few years researching his hometown’s history and culture.

 

Batiste and other early Mardi Gras Indians could trace branches of their family trees to local Native American tribes, writes Wagner in The Wild Tchoupitoulas. But the scholar believes the music, beadwork and other aspects of the tradition stem from West African customs.

Dozens of tribes independently organized in the years after the Creole Wild West’s formation. Encounters between rival bands of Indians often led to violence, with tribes using the raucous celebration as a day “to settle scores,” according to the Mardi Gras New Orleans website. Then, in the 1970s, Big Chief Allison “Tootie” Montana of the Yellow Pocahontas partnered with other tribal leaders to end the unrest and shift the tradition’s focus to pageantry and friendly competition. The New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian Council was established in 1985 to represent the tribes’ interests.

 

Following the council’s formation, the Indians’ energy shifted from physical fighting to contests over the best suits, chants and more. Typically consisting of a crown, a dickie (tuxedo front) and an apron, suits are handcrafted over a period of six months to a year. Adorned with beads, feathers and other decorative embellishments, they draw inspiration from both Native American and African ceremonial dress.

Mardi Gras Indians aren’t limited to parading on Fat Tuesday. They also gather on Super Sunday—the Sunday closest to St. Joseph’s Day on March 19—and on the saint’s day itself.

 

Traditionally male-dominated, tribes boast a big chief, a queen and a banner-brandishing flag boy, among other roles. The spy boy precedes his tribe in the streets, scouting out rivals.

The Indians’ music initially involved chanting, drumming, tambourines, cowbells, and even sticks and soda bottles, says Melissa A. Weber, a curator at Tulane University Special Collections. The groups’ sound eventually evolved to include funk and other genres.

Some tribes have released commercial recordings of their music. The Wild Tchoupitoulas—“a Black working-class mystic society and fraternal organization,” writes Wagner—produced a 1976 album that employed “a Caribbean flavor,” Weber says. Another tribe, the Wild Magnolias, embraced funk.

“It was synonymous with the music at the time, but New Orleans—what a lot of people don’t know—set the tone for all of American popular music,” Weber says. Jazz pianist Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton and R&B group the Neville Brothers are among the famous musicians who have masked as Mardi Gras Indians.

 

Given its use of Native American imagery and customs, the Mardi Gras Indian tradition has proved controversial, particularly in recent years amid debates over cultural appropriation. In undated archival footage provided by the Mardi Gras Indian Council, Estabon Eugene, big chief of the Golden Arrows, acknowledged that the practice prompts mixed feelings among some Indigenous people. A Black man, Eugene said the custom is “not about disrespect” but rather “paying tribute” to Native Americans.

“It’s complicated,” says Jeffery Darensbourg, a Louisiana Creole and a member of the Atakapa-Ishak Nation of Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas. Like him, many of the Mardi Gras Indians he’s met claim both Native and African heritage.

 “What it means to be Black can be a lot of things … in Louisiana,” says Darensbourg, who discussed the issue of Mardi Gras Indians and appropriation in the 2021 documentary Big Chief, Black Hawk. He describes himself as “generally not opposed” to the Mardi Gras Indian tradition, which he considers a hybrid of Native and West African cultures.

But he does take issue with Mardi Gras Indians who name themselves after unaffiliated Native tribes, using words like “Mohawk” and “Pocahontas.” “No one gets to use someone’s tribal name unless they have some heritage in that tribe,” Darensbourg says. “These are tribes who have fought a long time just to be able to exist.”

 

Adrienne Keene, founder of the blog Native Appropriations and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, summed up the controversy in a 2010 post, asking, “Can one marginalized group appropriate another?”

Though some elements of the tradition gave her pause, she noted that the tradition developed “out of a shared position of marginality and discrimination” and has since evolved “outside of the realm of cultural appropriation into a distinct culture and community.”

The Inter-Tribal Council of Louisiana Consortium, which represents five Native tribes, declined to comment for this story.

Big Chief Derrick Hulin (also known as Big Chief Uptown) of the Golden Blades was first drawn to the Mardi Gras Indians as a child when he heard a recording by the Wild Magnolias. Captivated by a white suit on the album’s cover, he says, “I just got bit by the bug.”

Born and raised in the 17th Ward’s Hollygrove neighborhood, Hulin has now masked for almost 30 years. His tribe was established in the 1930s and is among New Orleans’ oldest.

Hulin says the Mardi Gras Indians employ visual, musical and theatrical arts. Some of their handcrafted suits could be deemed fine art, while others are displays of abstract art. Uptown tribes often utilize intricate beading, while downtown tribes embrace architectural designs with three-dimensional elements. Suits can weigh up to 100 pounds, and the materials required to make them can cost thousands of dollars.

In the weeks before Fat Tuesday, Hulin starts to transform into Big Chief Uptown to lead his tribe on the streets. “Ain’t no rest, because you’re chief, mom, dad, brother, sister, father, pastor—you’re everything to these guys,” he says.

“Everybody has their different opinions about the Mardi Gras Indians,” Hulin adds. But the practice goes deeper than showing participants’ collective respect of Native Americans. For Hulin and others, it also means cherishing Black culture, honoring their ancestors and serving their neighborhoods.

 

Are the Mardi Gras Indians best defined as a community, a tradition, a brotherhood and sisterhood, or an example of living history? “All of the above,” Hulin says. “Even if I don’t mask, I still see myself with this for the rest of my life.”

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ATTACHMENT EIGHTEEN – FROM QUO VADIS

MARDI GRAS BRINGS HISTORY AND FESTIVITY TOGETHER

By Ridha Mirza    Mar 3, 2025 Updated Mar 5, 2025

 

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Mardi Gras, celebrated for its vibrant parades, elaborate costumes, and indulgent festivities, has deep historical and cultural roots. The term "Mardi Gras," meaning "Fat Tuesday" in French, refers to the last day before Lent, a period of fasting and reflection for Christians. The festival's origins trace back to ancient pagan celebrations, with the Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia serving as early influences. These festivals were characterized by feasting and revelry, and as Christianity spread, the church incorporated these customs into its traditions, leading to the development of the Carnival.

Mardi Gras made its way to North America with French explorers. In 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville arrived at a plot of land near present-day New Orleans and named it "Pointe du Mardi Gras" because it was the holiday’s eve. In 1718, New Orleans was founded, and the traditions of festivities began to take root in the city. Early celebrations were modest, marked by masked balls and small gatherings. However, by the mid-18th century, the festivities grew in scale and popularity.

The first recorded Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans took place in 1837. The parades we recognize today began to take shape in the 1850s, with the establishment of "krewes" – social organizations that host parades and balls during the Carnival season. The Mistick Krewe of Comus, founded in 1856, was the first such organization and set the standard for elaborate floats and masked riders. In 1872, the Krewe of Rex introduced the official Mardi Gras colors – purple, green, and gold – symbolizing justice, faith, and power, respectively.

 

During the Spanish rule over Louisiana, strict regulations were imposed on the celebrations during Spanish rule over Louisiana. Despite these restrictions, the spirit of Mardi Gras persisted, evolving into a grand spectacle. The Krewe of Rex also established the tradition of having a "King of Carnival.”

Today, Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a major cultural event, attracting millions of worldwide visitors. The weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday are filled with parades, balls, and parties. Masked revelers throw beads and trinkets from floats, jazz music fills the air, and the city comes alive with energy and excitement. Mardi Gras is more than just a day of celebration; it is a vibrant expression of culture, history, and community. It embodies the spirit of revelry and resilience passed down through generations. From the intricate designs of the costumes to the melodies of the marching bands, every element contributes to the unique charm of this centuries-old tradition.

 

 

ATTACHMENT NINETEEN – FROM USA TODAY

MARDI GRAS 2026 IS COMING TO A CLOSE. SEE NEW ORLEANS PARADE SCHEDULE.

By Saman Shafiq and Gabe Hauari   Feb. 16, 2026, 6:05 a.m. ET

 

When is Ramadan starting in Saudi Arabia?

What parades occur in New Orleans on Feb. 16, 2026?

How did Mardi Gras evolve from a religious holiday to a global festival?

When is Ramadan starting in Saudi Arabia?

Mardi Gras 2026 culminates on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 17, with a series of final parades in New Orleans on Feb. 16 and 17. The article outlines the historical roots of the holiday and provides the scheduled times and locations for each krewe’s procession, noting that routes may change.

Following weeks of celebrations and king cake, the 2026 Mardi Gras season will come to a grand end on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 17.

While Mardi Gras was initially a religious holiday observed prior to the Christian Lenten season, it has since expanded from a single day of observation to weeks (or months) of partying and festivities.

The season is typically celebrated with jubilant music, street celebrations and parades, often occurring on the days leading up to Fat Tuesday. Carnival begins on Jan. 6 with Three Kings Day, also known as Epiphany, a pre-Lent festival honoring the beginning of the new year and the rebirth of nature, according to Britannica. 

The festivals and celebrations in the weeks leading up to the Lenten season are celebrated across the world, from France to Brazil and beyond.

In the U.S., Mardi Gras is most famously celebrated in New Orleans, Louisiana, with the city decking up, hosting spectacular parades and celebrations, and eating an endless amount of king cake. It is also celebrated in other cities throughout Louisiana, as well as St. Louis, Missouri, Galveston, Texas, and Mobile, Alabama, where the tradition is actually said to have started first in 1703.

Whether you're a local, a traveler planning a trip to New Orleans, or want to watch the festivities from afar, here's what to know about Mardi Gras parades in the Big Easy this year.

 

WHEN IS MARDI GRAS 2026?

Mardi Gras day, which translates from French to English as "Fat Tuesday," will be celebrated on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

The Mardi Gras season, also referred to as Carnival, began 12 days after Christmas on Jan. 6 and will last until Fat Tuesday.

 

ORIGINS OF MARDI GRAS

Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday that traces its roots back to pagan spring and fertility rites, according to History.com.

Christy Garrison-Harrison, an assistant professor of history and women, gender, and sexuality studies at Southern University and A&M College, previously told USA TODAY that Mardi Gras began in medieval Europe, starting in Rome and making its way to France. The tradition then made its way through the colonies, and around 1699, French Canadians arrived in what is now Mobile, Alabama.

Back then, people celebrated "Boeuf Gras," meaning "fatted calf," which was a time for people to enjoy things such as fatty foods, sugar, alcohol and other items considered "decadent," Garrison-Harrison explained. They’d give themselves until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, or what is often called Fat Tuesday, to indulge, after which Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and penance before Easter Sunday, would commence.

The Mardi Gras Carnival season is predominantly celebrated in countries with large Roman Catholic populations, and today, some of the biggest celebrations in the world take place in Brazil; Venice, Italy; and New Orleans.

When are the 2026 Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans?

Louisiana was first colonized by the French before becoming part of the U.S. and has since retained strong French and Cajun culture and traditions, including Mardi Gras.

While New Orleans has been hosting Mardi Gras parades since the start of January, the following parades are scheduled for the final days of fun: Monday, Feb. 16, and Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Here's when and where to catch these parades, according to Mardi Gras New Orleans. For specific parade routes, visit NewOrleans.com. (Note: Parade times and routes are subject to change.)

 

WHEN IS MARDI GRAS CELEBRATED?

Fat Tuesday is just one week away.

When is Mardi Gras? 

What to know as Carnival season begins in New Orleans.

Mardi Gras wasn't always like this. 

How did Fat Tuesday become fun?

Here's what you missed at Mardi Gras Mambo featuring Waka Flocka Flame

Here's where to party in North Jersey for Mardi Gras

Monday, Feb. 16

·         Krewe of Proteus: 5:15 p.m., Uptown New Orleans

·         Krewe of Orpheus: 6 p.m., Uptown New Orleans

·         Krewe of Centurions: 6 p.m., Metairie (Followed by Krewe of Atlas)

Tuesday, Feb. 17

·         Krewe of Zulu: 8 a.m., Uptown New Orleans

·         Covington Lions Club: 10 a.m., Covington (followed by Krewe of Bogue Fayala)

·         Krewe of Rex: 10:30 a.m., Uptown New Orleans (followed by Krewe of Elks Orleans and Krewe of Crescent City)

·         Mardi Gras Indians: TBD, Uptown New Orleans

·         Krewe of Argus: 11 a.m., Metairie (followed by Krewe of Elks Jeffersonians)

·         Krewe of Folsom: 2 p.m., Folsom

 

ATTACHMENT TWENTY – FROM AL.COM

FROM MARDI GRAS TO LENT: SIN BEFORE YOU REPENT? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT FAT TUESDAY

By Greg Garrison Published: Feb. 16, 2026, 4:44 p.m.  

 

A lot of people are celebrating Mardi Gras right now with parades, festivals, parties and beads, but where exactly did this tradition come from?

There is actually a purpose and meaning behind the party.

Mardi Gras is a French expression meaning Fat Tuesday. It refers to the last day of indulgence allowed before Christians begin their fasting season of Lent. Ash Wednesday traditionally serves as a call to penance and humility for Christians.

Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the last day to party before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday.

And boy, do people party, and many of them have no plans to repent.

“For some Catholics, Mardi Gras is an embarrassment,” writes Shaun McAfee on the website Catholicexchange.com. “The beads, the excess, the headlines, and the image of immorality have convinced some that the entire celebration is little more than a secular bacchanal—at best a distraction from Lent, at worst an outright contradiction of it.”

McAfee, author of “I’m Catholic. Now What?” notes that many Catholics are ashamed Mardi Gras has gone too far.

“How,” the objection goes, “can a Catholic possibly defend a festival that appears to glorify indulgence immediately before a season of penance?” McAfee writes.

“The question is understandable,” he said. “But it is also historically thin and theologically incomplete. When properly understood, Mardi Gras—and its counterparts across the Christian world—belongs not to pagan excess but to a deeply Catholic understanding of the human person, time, and discipline.”

“The problem is not that the Church forgot how to fast,” McAfee writes. “It is that modern culture forgot how to feast.”

So how did the day before Ash Wednesday turn into a big party?

In Medieval Europe, 12 days of Christmas were celebrated from Dec. 25 until Epiphany, on Jan. 6, an observance of the visit of the magi, or three kings.

Festivities for the 12 days of Christmas were often presided over by a mock king. Small tokens were distributed, symbolic of the gifts given to the baby Jesus by the magi. A mock king for twelfth night was chosen by luck: whoever found a token hidden in a special “king cake.”

Those popular costume parties and celebrations became more elaborate and eventually extended all the way until the day before Ash Wednesday. By Ash Wednesday morning, all revelry is supposed to have ended and turned to somber repentance and fasting.

The word Carnival comes from the Latin words Carne Vale, which means “Farewell to Meat.” So people who are celebrating Mardi Gras, “Fat Tuesday” and Carnival are actually supposed to be celebrating a goodbye to gluttony.

These were the last celebrations where eating meat and rich foods were allowed before Ash Wednesday, the start of the austere season of fasting. Lent is the season of preparation for Easter.

“In a pre-industrial world, Lent meant real deprivation: no meat, no dairy, no eggs, and often fewer meals,” McAfee writes. “Mardi Gras existed to use up what could not be eaten during the fast and to mark, clearly and communally, the transition into penitential time.”

It may be called Fastnacht in Germany and Shrovetide in England, but the idea is the same.

“All shared the same logic: feast before the fast; celebrate before repentance; joy before discipline,” McAfee writes.

“The Church did not merely tolerate these celebrations. She regulated them, blessed them, calendarized them, and understood them as part of the rhythm of Christian life. The liturgical year has never been emotionally monochrome. It teaches us when to mourn and when to rejoice—and insists that both matter.”

The feasting gives the fasting more meaning.

“One of the most persistent misconceptions about Mardi Gras is that it somehow undermines Lent,” McAfee writes. “In reality, it only makes sense because Lent exists.

“Christian asceticism has never meant the rejection of pleasure as such. Rather, it is about ordering pleasure correctly. The same Church that calls for fasting also commands feasting. We fast on Good Friday; we feast on Easter Sunday. We kneel in penance during Lent; we sing Alleluia for fifty days after Easter. This is not hypocrisy—it is theology.”

For those who fast and repent, Mardi Gras and Lent have the most meaning, he said.

“Historically, Mardi Gras worked precisely because Lent followed it immediately and uncompromisingly,” McAfee writes.

“The question Catholics should ask is not whether some people sin during Mardi Gras—people sin every day of the year—but whether the concept of a pre-Lenten feast is itself immoral. Historically, the answer is no. Theologically, the answer is no. Liturgically, the answer is no.”

On Ash Wednesday, fasting follows feasting, just as repentance comes after sin.

“What is immoral is allowing excess to detach itself from repentance, or celebration to become self-indulgence without discipline,” McAfee writes. “That is not Mardi Gras as the Church understood it. That is Mardi Gras without Ash Wednesday.”

 

 

ATTACHMENT TWENTY ONE – FROM AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

RAMADAN, MARDI GRAS, LUNAR NEW YEAR OVERLAP TODAY. HOW RARE IS THAT?

By Mariyam Muhammad  Feb. 17, 2026, 2:46 p.m. ET

 

February 2026, Mardi Gras, Ramadan, and the start of the Lunar New Year all coincide on February 17 in a rare occurrence

Mardi Gras marks the end of the Carnival season before Ash Wednesday, which begins the Christian observance of Lent

Ramadan is the Islamic holy month of fasting, prayer, and reflection, which begins after the sighting of the crescent moon

Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a significant celebration in many East and Southeast Asian countries

 

February 2026 has been a month for special holidays (including Valentine's Day) and today, Feb. 17, Mardi Gras, Ramadan, and the Lunar New Year all coincide at the same time.

When are these holidays and what significance do they hold? How often do they overlap? Here's what to know.

 

HOW OFTEN DO RAMADAN, MARDI GRAS, LUNAR NEW YEAR OVERLAP?

Considering that all three celebrations fall on different dates each year, seeing them overlap is quite rare.

Mardi Gras and Lunar New Year have overlapped nine times since 1947, according to CT Insider (via Yahoo), the last time being in 2002. Ramadan 2002 began in November, so it could not have coincided with Lunar New Year and Mardi Gras. The confluence of all three celebrations is a unique occurrence.

 

WHAT IS MARDI GRAS? WHEN DOES IT TAKE PLACE?

Observed in New Orleans, the Carnival season began on Jan. 6. The festival ends with Mardi Gras, Feb. 17, the day before Ash Wednesday. Festivities across the city include elaborate parades, eating king cake and sharing purple, green and gold bead necklaces.

Rio de Janeiro's famed Carnival parades begin Feb. 13 and happen through Feb. 17 ahead of Lent. Other events extend the festival to Feb. 21, according to the Rio Carnival website.

 

WHEN DOES LENT START? WHEN IS ASH WEDNESDAY 2026? IT ARRIVES EARLY THIS YEAR

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent and the Easter season, will be observed on Feb. 18, 2026.

 

WHEN IS RAMADAN 2026? HOW DO MUSLIMS CELEBRATE?

Though Ramadan has a predetermined date, confirmation of the holy month requires actual sighting of the waxing crescent moon, the thin slice of moon that marks the start of every Islamic month.

Saudi Arabian observatories have confirmed that the holy month of Ramadan begins the night of February 17, 2026, after the sighting of the crescent moon.

During Ramadan, Muslims do more than fasting from food and drink during the day. They also practice self-control and using the month of Ramadan to accumulate blessings and spiritual discipline. Muslims are also encouraged to read the Quran, practice gratitude and compassion, avoid wrongdoings and temptations, and give to those in need.

 

WHEN IS LUNAR NEW YEAR 2026?

Lunar New Year begins Tuesday, Feb. 17, and lasts until the Lantern Festival on Tuesday, March 3.

Lunar New Year, colloquially known as Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, marks the start of a new year based on the lunar calendar. Like Ramadan, the date changes each year based on lunar phases.

Observed in many East and Southeast Asian communities, it's one of the most significant celebrations in Chinese culture. Traditions for this holiday often include family gatherings, special means, red decorations symbolizing luck and prosperity and community festivals with music and dance.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TWENTY TWO – FROM USA TODAY

WHEN IS RAMADAN? MUSLIM HOLY MONTH EXPLAINED

By Melina Khan   Feb. 16, 2026, 7:03 a.m. ET

 

When is Ramadan starting in Saudi Arabia?

How does Ramadan overlap with Mardi Gras?

What are Mardi Gras traditions in 2026?

Ramadan 2026 is expected to start in late February, with the exact date set by moon sightings, and will last 30 days ending in mid‑March, after which Eid al‑Fitr is celebrated. Muslims worldwide will fast from sunrise to sunset, observing pre‑dawn Suhoor and sunset Iftar meals, and mark the month that commemorates the Quran’s revelation.

Muslims around the world are gearing up for Ramadan, the annual holy month, that is starting in just a few days.

Ramadan is a period of prayer, reflection and abstinence that coincides with the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a fast from sunrise to sunset, meaning they do not eat or drink at all during daylight hours.

Ramadan will begin at the end of February, but the exact timing depends on the sight of the moon. Many Muslims follow guidance set by officials in Muslim-majority countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

This year, for some, the start of Ramadan could also coincide with two other cultural days: Mardi Gras and Lunar New Year.

 

WHEN DOES RAMADAN START?

Ramadan is expected to start on Feb. 18 or 19 this year.

Because the Islamic Calendar follows a lunar cycle, exact dates can change slightly depending on moon sightings.

Many Muslims follow guidance set by moon sighting committees in Middle Eastern countries. In Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, officials have called for those sighting the moon to gather on Tuesday, Feb. 17, meaning the start of Ramadan could be declared for either Feb. 18 or 19.

In other countries, like Oman, Turkey and Singapore, officials declared the start of Ramadan to be Feb. 19 this year.

 

WHEN DOES RAMADAN END?

Ramadan is expected to end on March 18 or 19 this year, depending on the start date.

It lasts 30 days and ends with Eid al-Fitr, the start of a new month in the Islamic calendar.

 

WHAT IS RAMADAN?

Ramadan is the most sacred time of the year for Muslims, during which they fast from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from any food or drink, even water.

Because fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, every healthy Muslim is expected to partake in the monthlong fasting. Ramadan signifies the month Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, according to Brandeis University.

During Ramadan, Muslims have a pre-dawn meal called Suhoor and a post-sundown meal called Iftar.

 

WHAT IS EID?

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. It is a major holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world to signify the breaking of the fast.

This year, Eid al-Fitr is expected to be on March 19 or 20 depending on the sighting of the moon.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com

 

 

ATTACHMENT TWENTY THREE – FROM GULF NEWS

RAMADAN 2026: MANY COUNTRIES OFFICIALLY CONFIRM FIRST DAY OF FASTING

The Islamic calendar is lunar, with each month beginning at the sighting of the new moon

By Lekshmy Pavithran, Assistant Online Editor  Last updated: February 13, 2026 | 10:56

The official date in UAE will be confirmed after the traditional crescent moon sighting.

As Ramadan 2026 approaches, Muslims worldwide are preparing for a month of fasting, reflection, and charity. Early astronomical predictions suggest the holy month may begin next week (February 18 or 19), but the official start will depend on local crescent moon sightings, which can vary by country and community. (Click here for the Ramadan prayer timings)

Also Read:  How the UAE determines the first day of Ramadan each year

MOON SIGHTING FOR RAMADAN 2026

For Ramadan 2026, most Islamic countries are expected to attempt moon sighting on Tuesday, February 17. However, astronomical calculations indicate the crescent will be invisible or extremely unlikely to be seen across the region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt. On that day:

· The moon will set before the sun.

· The angular separation between the sun and moon will fall below the Danjon limit, making visual sighting impossible.

· A rare annular solar eclipse later that day further confirms this alignment.

As a result, countries requiring confirmed sightings are likely to complete Sha’ban as 30 days, making Thursday, February 19, the probable first day of Ramadan in the UAE. Some nations may start a day earlier, depending on different local criteria.

Also Read: Ramadan 2026: Likely start date, Eid Al Fitr and UAE public holidays

Why Ramadan dates differ

The Islamic calendar is lunar, with each month beginning at the sighting of the new moon. Differences in start dates occur because countries and communities may rely on:

· Local moon sightings

· Global moon sightings

· Astronomical calculations

These variations can result in a one-day difference in the start of Ramadan between regions. Click here for the Zakat calculator

Also Read:Will Ramadan this year be 29 or 30 days? When fasting starts, how long it lasts? 

UAE: Expected start: Thursday, February 19

In the UAE, Ramadan 2026 is expected to begin on Thursday, February 19, according to Dubai’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD). The official start will be confirmed after the traditional crescent moon sighting, though early predictions suggest the holy month could commence anytime between February 17 and 19, giving families and communities time to prepare both spiritually and socially.

FIRST DAY OF RAMADAN CONFIRMED

Oman first GCC country to confirm Ramadan date

Oman has announced that Thursday, February 19, will mark the first day of Ramadan, following astronomical calculations indicating the crescent moon cannot be sighted on the preceding evening.

The main Hijri month sighting committee confirmed that Wednesday, February 18, will complete the month of Shaaban, making the following day the start of Ramadan. Authorities said the decision aligns with both religious and scientific criteria, as the moon is predicted to set before or at sunset on the 29th of Shaaban across all Omani governorates, making visual sighting impossible.

TURKEY CONFIRMS RAMADAN START DATE

Turkey has officially declared Thursday, February 19, as the first day of the holy month of Ramadan after astronomical calculations showed the crescent moon could not be sighted on the preceding observation date.

Turkey determines the start of all Hijri months using pre-calculated astronomical data that assesses the possibility of crescent visibility. A new lunar month begins if calculations on the 29th day indicate the moon could be seen — by naked eye or telescope — anywhere sharing night-time hours with the country.

The Presidency of Religious Affairs said its findings showed crescent sighting would not be possible on Tuesday, February 17, across the Arab and Islamic world and the Americas, prompting the decision to set Thursday as the start of Ramadan.

SINGAPORE ANNOUNCES RAMADAN DATE

Singapore has also confirmed Thursday, February 19, as the first day of Ramadan after astronomical assessments ruled out crescent visibility on the observation night.

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, headed by the Mufti of Singapore, follows a calculation-based method using local visibility criteria. Authorities said the moon would set before the sun on Tuesday, making sighting impossible from Singapore.

Also Read: Australia announces first day of Ramadan 2026

Australia confirms first day of Ramadan 2026

Australia has announced that Ramadan 1447H (2026) will begin on Thursday, 19 February, confirmed by the Australian Fatwa Council based on astronomical calculations.

The Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamad, said the announcement follows consultations with the council. In Sydney and Perth, the new moon for Ramadan appears after sunset on Tuesday, 17 February, making it impossible for the month to start that evening. The first night of Ramadan and Taraweeh prayers will be observed on Wednesday, 18 February after Isha.

Dr Abu Mohamad urged Muslims to respect differing scholarly opinions, maintain unity, and pray for peace, security, and relief for those facing hardships worldwide, particularly in Gaza.

PREPARING AHEAD

The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) typically confirms Ramadan dates after reviewing local moon sighting reports. Communities often plan based on expected dates while remaining flexible. While astronomical calculations provide a strong estimate, the official start is confirmed only after local sightings.

FRANCE CONFIRMS RAMADAN START DATE

In France, home to Europe’s largest Muslim population, authorities have confirmed key dates for Ramadan 2026, providing clarity for millions of faithful. The French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM) announced that fasting will begin on Thursday, February 19, following astronomical calculations showing the new moon conjunction on Tuesday, February 17 at 1:01 pm Paris time.

The traditional Night of Doubt will be observed on February 17 at 6 pm (local time) at the Great Mosque of Paris, where a religious commission will review lunar observations and calculations before final confirmation. Chems-eddine Hafiz, Rector of the mosque, emphasised that the practice is preserved “for the unity of Muslims.”

PAKISTAN: Crescent likely on February 18

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has indicated that the new moon of Ramadan 1447 AH will be born on February 17 at 5:01 pm (PST). Based on astronomical calculations, there is a reasonable chance that the crescent will be visible on the evening of February 18, corresponding to the 29th of Shaaban.

The official start will depend on confirmation by local religious authorities. 

HOW LONG WILL RAMADAN LAST?

· Ramadan lasts 29 or 30 days, depending on moon sighting

· Dubai forecasts a 29-day month in 2026

How to calculate Zakat:  To estimate your Zakat accurately, you can use the Gulf News online calculator -gulfnews.com/zakat-calculator

EID AL FITR 2026

Eid Al Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and is one of the most important celebrations in the Islamic calendar. Eid Al Fitr in 2026 is expected to begin on Friday, March 20, according to astronomical predictions. The holiday begins with early morning Eid prayers, followed by family visits, charity and nationwide festivities.

Possible 4-day long weekend

· Marks the end of Ramadan and celebration of fasting completion

· UAE expected: Thursday, March 19 – Friday, March 20, 2026

· Public holidays: First three days of Shawwal

29-day Ramadan: Friday, March 20 – Sunday, March 22 (3-day weekend)

30-day Ramadan: Thursday, March 19 – Sunday, March 22 (4-day weekend)

Note: Certain holidays can be transferred to extend breaks, but Eid holidays remain fixed.

 

ATTACHMENT TWENTY FOUR – FROM IUK

HOW TO WISH SOMEONE A ‘HAPPY RAMADAN’

These are some common ways many Muslims welcome the fasting month between family, friends and neighbours

By Faiza Saqib & Kate Ng   Tuesday 17 February 2026 09:53 EST

 

The holy month of Ramadan is just around the corner, when Muslims across the globe embark on a period of fasting designed to test their spiritual strength and devotion.

During this sacred time, adherents engage in prayer, Quranic recitation, and mindfulness, seeking to deepen their faith.

The arrival of Ramadan is marked by diverse celebrations worldwide, from communal Iftar gatherings – the breaking of the fast – to household decorations and traditional culinary delights.

The daily fast begins just before dawn with a modest pre-fast meal known as "suhoor," concluding after sunset with "iftar." Between these two meals, those observing the fast abstain entirely from food and even water.

In 2026, Ramadan is expected to begin on the Wednesday 18 February to Thursday 19 February. It starts with the sighting of the crescent moon, which usually appears one night after a new moon.

But how should you greet someone who observes the holy month? Here’s everything you need to know.

 

HOW SHOULD YOU WISH SOMEONE A ‘HAPPY RAMADAN’?

A saying familiar to many Muslims around the globe is, ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ which simply means ‘Blessed Ramadan’. Another commonly used term is, ‘Ramadan Kareem’, which translates to ‘Generous Ramadan’, both terms are from Arabic origins.

These are some of the ways in which many Muslims welcome the fasting month between family, friends and neighbours, and is well used throughout the fasting month, when greeting people for the first time.

‘Ramzan’ is another variation often used around the globe too, mainly around countries such as India and Pakistan.

If you have Muslim colleagues, friends or neighbours, the simplest way to wish them a ‘Happy Ramadan’ is by saying, ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ or ‘Ramadan Kareem’ .

Happy fasting and Ramadan Mubarak to Muslims around the globe!

 

WHY DO MUSLIMS CELEBRATE RAMADAN?

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and changes every year in accordance with the moon.

Before the fasting month begins, Muslims around the world prepare and wait for the arrival of Ramadan to be announced by the Saudi moon sighting committee or their local mosque.

Ramadan is an essential part of the Islamic faith and it is believed, that it is the month whereby the Holy Quran was first reveal to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

 

HOW DO MUSLIMS FAST?

The fasting process is between dawn to sunset and is a sign of loyalty to the Islamic faith, which means that Muslims must abstain from eating and drinking, and yes, not even water.

Many Muslims fast as a reminder to remain patient, learn self-discipline and to build an understanding of those that are suffering around the world.

Among many others, Ramadan is also one of the five pillars of Islam. The pillars are key practices that Muslims are obligated to fulfill throughout their lifetime.

 

WHO IS EXEMPT FROM FASTING?

Fasting is not permitted to those that are suffering from a mental or physical illness.

Pregnant women who are breastfeeding and women who are menstruating, are also exempt. As well as travellers, and children who have not yet reached puberty.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TWENTY FIVE – FROM MPR

THE LATEST ON ICE IN MINNESOTA

ICE surge disrupts Ramadan celebrations in Minneapolis

By Nina Moini and Alanna Elder   February 16, 2026 1:40 PM

 

The holy month of Ramadan begins this week. It’s the holiest month on the Islamic calendar. The holiday is a time of fasting, prayer and reflection for Muslims around the world. And even as federal immigration agents reportedly leave Minnesota, the past two months of heightened ICE activity has impacted the sense of safety for some Muslims.

Imam Hassan Jama leads Alhikma Islamic Center in south Minneapolis. He says he is expecting less traffic at the mosque and thinks some in his congregation will chose to pray at home.

Even with news of federal agents leaving Minnesota, Jama says there is a lot of uncertainty about what that means for the safety of some members of the Somali community who will be celebrating Ramadan.

“We will like to have our normal life with no fear, with no carrying our passports with no thinking if I go to the mosque, maybe I got stopped, maybe I get detained,” said Jama.

Jama says they are considering adding security around the mosque or asking volunteers to stand guard.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TWENTY SIX – FROM THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

IDF LAUNCHES WEST BANK OPERATION AHEAD OF RAMADAN TO ‘ENSURE SECURITY AND STABILITY’

By Emanuel Fabian 16 February 2026, 8:21 pm

 

Ahead of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, the Israeli military says it has begun an operation across the West Bank aimed at arresting Palestinians “advancing incitement and terror on social media.”

“In preparation for the blessed month of Ramadan, and as a step to ensure security and stability and combat terrorism, IDF troops have in recent days begun an operation across Judea and Samaria against elements advancing incitement and terror on social media networks,” says Lt. Col. Ella Waweya, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokeswoman, in a statement.

She says the operation is expected to continue throughout Ramadan, which begins tomorrow night and ends in late March.

 “The message is clear: Ramadan is a month of family, community and unity. Do not allow terror organizations to ruin it for you, and do not be drawn after incitement on social media networks,” Waweya says.

As was the case last Ramadan, Israel will grant permits to 10,000 West Bank Palestinians — only males aged 55 and older, women at least 50 years old, and children aged 12 and below — to enter Jerusalem for Friday prayers on the Temple Mount during Ramadan.

 

 

Prior to the three February 17th back to work occasions (which some believe should be celebrated as the government does, more paid time off), we take note of three more occasions... one sinister, one romantic and one patriotic... after this update...

 

ATTACHMENT TWENTY SEVEN – FROM TANGLE - FRIDAY THE 13TH

·         On Friday, funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed after lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement. Democrats have said that a deal must include a list of reforms to immigration officials’ actions, which Republicans have so far rejected.  See information and updates about the lapse here.

 

 

ATTACHMENT TWENTY EIGHT – FROM HISTORY.COM

FRIDAY THE 13TH

Published: October 10, 2017    Last updated: February 13, 2026

 

Long considered a harbinger of bad luck, Friday the 13th has inspired a late 19th-century secret society, an early 20th-century novel, a horror film franchise and not one but two unwieldy terms—paraskavedekatriaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia—that describe fear of this supposedly unlucky day.

 

THE FEAR OF 13

Just like walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat or breaking a mirror, many people hold fast to the belief that Friday the 13th brings bad luck. Though it’s uncertain exactly when this particular tradition began, negative superstitions have swirled around the number 13 for centuries.

While Western cultures have historically associated the number 12 with completeness (there are 12 days of Christmas, 12 months and zodiac signs, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 gods of Olympus and 12 tribes of Israel, just to name a few examples), its successor 13 has a long history as a sign of bad luck.

The ancient Code of Hammurabi, for example, reportedly omitted a 13th law from its list of legal rules. Though this was probably a clerical error, superstitious people sometimes point to this as proof of 13’s longstanding negative associations.

Fear of the number 13 has even earned a psychological term: triskaidekaphobia.

 

13 BIZARRE SUPERSTITIONS

You know to avoid black cats, but did you know not to cut your nails at night?

 

WHY IS FRIDAY THE 13TH UNLUCKY?

According to biblical tradition, 13 guests attended the Last Supper, held on Maundy Thursday, including Jesus and his 12 apostles (one of whom, Judas, betrayed him). The next day, of course, was Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.

The seating arrangement at the Last Supper is believed to have given rise to a longstanding Christian superstition that having 13 guests at a table was a bad omen—specifically, that it was courting death.

Though Friday’s negative associations are weaker, some have suggested they also have roots in Christian tradition: Just as Jesus was crucified on a Friday, Friday was also said to be the day Eve gave Adam the fateful apple from the Tree of Knowledge, as well as the day Cain killed his brother, Abel.

 

THE THIRTEEN CLUB

In the late-19th century, a New Yorker named Captain William Fowler (1827-1897) sought to remove the enduring stigma surrounding the number 13—and particularly the unwritten rule about not having 13 guests at a dinner table—by founding an exclusive society called the Thirteen Club.

The group dined regularly on the 13th day of the month in room 13 of the Knickerbocker Cottage, a popular watering hole Fowler owned from 1863 to 1883. Before sitting down for a 13-course dinner, members would pass beneath a ladder and a banner reading “Morituri te Salutamus,” Latin for “Those of us who are about to die salute you.”

Four former U.S. presidents (Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison and Theodore Roosevelt) would join the Thirteen Club’s ranks at one time or another.

 

FRIDAY THE 13TH IN POP CULTURE

An important milestone in the history of the Friday the 13th legend in particular (not just the number 13) occurred in 1907, with the publication of the novel Friday, the Thirteenth written by Thomas William Lawson.

The book told the story of a New York City stockbroker who plays on superstitions about the date to create chaos on Wall Street, and make a killing on the market.

The horror movie Friday the 13th, released in 1980, introduced the world to a hockey mask-wearing killer named Jason, and is perhaps the best-known example of the famous superstition in pop culture history. The movie spawned multiple sequels, as well as comic books, novellas, video games, related merchandise and countless terrifying Halloween costumes.

 

WHAT BAD THINGS HAPPENED ON FRIDAY 13TH?

On Friday, October 13, 1307, officers of King Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar, a powerful religious and military order formed in the 12th century for the defense of the Holy Land.

Imprisoned on charges of various illegal behaviors (but really because the king wanted access to their financial resources), many Templars were later executed. Some cite the link with the Templars as the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition, but like many legends involving the Templars and their history, the truth remains murky.

In more recent times, a number of traumatic events have occurred on Friday the 13th, including the German bombing of Buckingham Palace (September 1940); the murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York (March 1964); a cyclone that killed more than 300,000 people in Bangladesh (November 1970); the disappearance of a Chilean Air Force plane in the Andes (October 1972); the death of rapper Tupac Shakur (September 1996) and the crash of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy, which killed 30 people (January 2012).

Sources

“The Origins of Unlucky Friday the 13th,” Live Science. “Friday the 13th: why is it unlucky and other facts about the worst day in the calendar,” The Telegraph. “13 Freaky Things That Happened on Friday the 13th,” Live Science. “Here’s Why Friday the 13th is Considered Unlucky,” Time. “Friggatriskaidekaphobes Need Not Apply,” New York Historical Society.

 

VALENTINES’ DAY

 

ATTACHMENT TWENTY NINE – FROM BBC

ITALY'S 'LOVERS’ ARCH' COLLAPSES INTO SEA ON VALENTINE'S DAY

The aftermath of the storm has reduced 'lovers arch' to rubble

BY Kerena Cobbina

 

A famous rock structure in Italy dubbed "Lovers' Arch" collapsed on Valentine's Day after days of heavy rain and strong winds.

The rock formation at Sant'Andrea in Melendugno, Puglia served as a tourist attraction for wedding proposals and was a popular landmark on the Adriatic coast.

"This is an unwanted Valentine's Day gift", Melendugno Mayor Maurizio Cisternino told local media.

He said it was "a very hard blow" for the region and for tourism.

"Nature as it created the bow, has taken it back", he added.

Passers-by first noticed the absence of the natural landmark on Sunday morning.

Officials have suggested severe weather brought by a storm named Oriana - which has battered southern Italy in recent days - accelerated the rock's erosion, causing its collapse.

"We have lost one of our region's defining characteristics, a symbolic asset," Puglia's regional president Antonio Decaro told reporters at the site on Monday.

"Unfortunately, natural processes are often accelerated by meteorological phenomena, such as the tail end of storm Oriana", he said.

Decaro said authorities needed to concentrate on attempting to slow coastal erosion and preserving the coast.

The Salento region, where the arch was located, is one of Italy's most popular tourist areas.

 

ATTACHMENT THIRTY – ALSO FROM THE BBC

Feb 14, 2026

 

Valentine’s Day originated from a blend of ancient Roman fertility rituals (Lupercalia) and Christian martyrdom, evolving from a 3rd-century feast honoring Saint Valentine into a romantic, modern celebration. It became associated with love in the Middle Ages, with commercialized traditions of cards, gifts, and candy spreading from England and the US in the 18th-19th centuries. 

 

Key Historical Aspects:

·         Roman Roots (Lupercalia): Mid-February was a time for Lupercalia, a festival celebrating fertility and the coming of spring. It involved rituals meant to ensure fertility, though it was quite different from modern romance

·         Saint Valentine: Pope Gelasius I established February 14 as St. Valentine's Day around A.D. 496 to Christianize the date. The true identity of St. Valentine is debated, but he was likely a 3rd-century priest executed by Emperor Claudius II for secretly marrying lovers, violating a ban on marriage.

·         Romantic Association: The romantic tradition grew in the Middle Ages (14th-15th centuries). Poets like Geoffrey Chaucer linked the date to courtship, which slowly shifted the holiday from a religious feast to a celebration of love.

·         Modern Traditions:

o    Cards (Valentines): By the 18th century, it was common to exchange handmade cards. The 1840 invention of the postage stamp and Industrial Revolution allowed for mass-produced cards.

o    Gifts: Candy and flowers became standard gifts, and in the 19th century, Valentine's Day became a major commercial, yet deeply rooted, romantic holiday.

·         Other Traditions: In some cultures, it is a day for friendship, and in some areas, it is linked with the "Day of Lovers" (e.g., Mexico's Dia de los enamorados). 

 

 

ATTACHMENT THIRTY ONE – FROM HISTORY.COM

HISTORY OF VALENTINE’S DAY

BY HISTORY.com Editors  Published: December 22, 2009   Last Updated: February 06, 2026

 

Table of contents

1  The Story of St. Valentine

2  Origins of Valentine’s Day: A Pagan Festival in February

3  Valentine’s Day Meaning: A Day of Romance and Love

4  Who Is Cupid?

5  Valentine’s Day Traditions Throughout History

Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated every February 14.  In 2026, it falls on Saturday, February 14. Across the United States and in other places around the world, friends and loved ones exchange flowers, candy and gifts all in the name of St. Valentine.

But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? Find out about the meaning and history of Valentine’s Day, from the ancient Roman ritual of Lupercalia that welcomed spring to the card-giving customs of Victorian England.

 

HISTORY SHORTS: THE FIRST VALENTINE

While Valentine's Day is shared by lovers sharing time together, one of the first Valentine cards was sent from an enemy prison.

 

THE STORY OF ST. VALENTINE

The history of Valentine’s Day—and the story of the patron saint of lovers—is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance and that Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was St. Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus who were martyred in the third century A.D. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II Gothicus decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to marry couples in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered his execution. Others insist St. Valentine of Interamna (modern-day Terni, Italy), a bishop, is the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded during Claudius II’s reign for refusing to renounce his faith and converting new followers.

Other stories suggest Valentine might have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting, himself, after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailor’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement.

Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and—most importantly—romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine had become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

 

ORIGINS OF VALENTINE’S DAY: A PAGAN FESTIVAL IN FEBRUARY

Although some believe Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial—which probably occurred around A.D. 270—another theory is that the Christian church might have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Modern scholars dispute this idea given the few similarities between Lupercalia and the modern holiday, but it is true that passion was top of mind for ancient Romans in mid-February just as it is for many people today.

Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders, Romulus and Remus. To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, gathered at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf, or lupa. The priests then sacrificed a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. After, they skinned the goat and made its hide into strips, dipped those into the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women often welcomed the touch of the hides, because they believed it would make them more fertile in the coming year.

 

HISTORY OF VALENTINE'S DAY

Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14th and where do the holiday customs come from?

Historical evidence of Lupercalia is spotty. However, we know the popular festival was observed for more than a thousand years. It became increasingly violent as time passed, drawing criticism from the likes of Cicero and some Christian leaders.

 

VALENTINE’S DAY MEANING: A DAY OF ROMANCE AND LOVE

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”—at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 was St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love.

During the Middle Ages, a common belief across France and England held that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that Valentine’s Day should be an occassion for romance. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration in his c. 1380s poem “The Parliament of Fowls,” writing, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s did not begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today is a poem Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote to his wife in 1415 while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

By the mid-17th century, Valentine’s Day had become a celebratory day in English folk tradition that marked the coming of spring. A written history of the holiday from the early 18th century describes rural Englanders drawing names from a vessel to find their Valentines. The matchmaking lottery was considered a good omen for a paired couple’s future marriage.

 

WHO IS CUPID?

Cupid is often portrayed on Valentine’s Day cards as a naked cherub launching arrows of love at unsuspecting lovers. But the Roman God Cupid has his roots in Greek mythology as the Greek god of love, Eros. Accounts of his birth vary. Some say he is the son of Nyx and Erebus; others claim his parents are Aphrodite and Ares; still others suggest he is the son of Iris and Zephyrus or even Aphrodite and Zeus (who would have been both his father and grandfather).

According to the Greek Archaic poets, Eros was a handsome immortal who played with the emotions of Gods and men, using golden arrows to incite love and leaden ones to sow aversion. It was not until the Hellenistic period that he began to be portrayed as the mischievous, chubby child ever present on Valentine’s Day.

 

VALENTINE’S DAY TRADITIONS THROUGHOUT HISTORY

In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century.

By the middle of the 18th century, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions at a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.”

Today, according to Hallmark, more than 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas.

 

Sources

Hieromartyr Valentine, Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy

Orthodox Church in America

“The Real Story of Saint Valentine”

Italy Magazine

“Why Is St. Valentine’s Feast Day Not on the Church’s Calendar?” by Philip Kosloski

 

 

ATTACHMENT THIRTY TWO – FROM THE CONVERSATION VIA ALETEIA

“THE ‘REAL’ ST. VALENTINE WAS NO PATRON OF LOVE”

Why is St. Valentine’s feast day not on the Church’s calendar?

by Lisa Bitel and Philip Kosloski - published on 02/09/22

 

In the Roman Rite, February 14 is no longer the feast of St. Valentine, even though popular culture celebrates Valentine's Day.

February 14 has become one of the strangest days in Western culture. It is widely celebrated by the name of "Valentine's Day," referring to the Catholic saint, Valentine.

However, in the liturgy, most Roman Catholics don't actually celebrate St. Valentine on February 14. The general calendar states that February 14 is the obligatory memorial of "Sts. Cyril and Methodius."

While nearly the entire Western world celebrates "St. Valentine," the Church directs our attention to a pair of obscure Slavic saints.

Why is that?

 

THE SEARCH FOR THE REAL ST. VALENTINE

Historically speaking, February 14 has been associated with St. Valentine for centuries, dating back to some of the earliest calendars of the Catholic Church.

However, it was not a single St. Valentine, but multiple saints, as the early 20th-century American Ecclesiastical Review points out.

The various martyrologies of the Church contain twenty-two lives of canonized saints by the name of Valentine. Of these, nine are recorded as bishops, twelve as martyrs, most of the latter were priests; one was an officer in the army of Maximian and died at Ravenna. They are of all nationalities, Italians, French, Spaniards, Germans and Belgians.

Five of the St Valentines have their feasts assigned upon the 14th of February another occurs on February 12th.

Yet, none of these Valentines is the one who is connected to the modern celebration of Valentine's Day.

That St. Valentine is a 3rd-century Roman priest who was martyred for his Christian faith. There exist a number of legends that surround this particular saint, one of them claiming that he secretly wed couples.

 

REMOVAL FROM THE ROMAN CALENDAR

Initially the Roman Church had no problem celebrating this and other Valentines on February 14 and kept his feast on that date until 1969.

In the Second Vatican Council document, Sacrosanctum Concilium, it was suggested that the liturgical year should be revised, and certain saints removed from the general calendar.

Lest the feasts of the saints should take precedence over the feasts which commemorate the very mysteries of salvation, many of them should be left to be celebrated by a particular Church or nation or family of religious; only those should be extended to the universal Church which commemorate saints who are truly of universal importance.

A study was conducted by the Church, and St. Paul VI later explained in his motu proprio, Mysterii Paschalis, why some saints were removed and different ones added.

In order to execute this decision of the Ecumenical Council, the names of some saints have been removed from the universal Calendar ... The suppression of reference to a certain number of saints who are not universally known has permitted the insertion, within the Roman Calendar, of names of some martyrs of regions where the proclaiming of the Gospel arrived at a later date. Thus, as representatives of their countries, those who have won renown by the shedding of their blood for Christ or by their outstanding virtues enjoy the same dignity in this same catalogue.

While not martyrs, this does appear to be a reference to Sts. Cyril and Methodius, who proclaimed the Gospel to the Slavic people during the 9th century. The switch was an effort to make the calendar more "universal," as St. Paul VI states in his letter.

Also, it is believed that since there was doubt as to which St. Valentine was celebrated on February 14, his name was subsequently removed.

Oddly enough, the document that authorized the changing of the calendar was dated February 14, 1969.

In truth, the general calendar is not something "fixed," and can change as the needs of the times permit. Could St. Valentine be restored to February 14? If a large group of faithful desire it and believe him to be of "universal importance," then yes, he might return to that date.

Read also :  St. Valentine and the Catholic origins of February 14

Read also :  Why St. Valentine is a patron saint against plagues

 

 

 

ATTACHMENT THIRTY THREE – FROM 1440 

 

“BE MINE!”

How the holiday started:

Valentine's Day is an annual holiday celebrated on Feb. 14, associated with love and romantic relationships. Although the holiday was originally a Christian feast in honor of Saint Valentine, its actual namesake remains unclear. Some argue that the holiday was a Christian version of the Roman holiday of Lupercalia, but historians have cast doubt on that claim.

The modern form of the holiday, as a celebration of romantic love and an opportunity to find love, is believed to have been inspired by a 14th-century poem by Geoffrey Chaucer (it was about lovebirds). The holiday grew in popularity during the 19th century, especially in England and the United States, largely due to the nascent greeting card industry (read a 19th-century guide to writing valentines).

Today, the holiday is celebrated in various forms (and by various names) around the world (learn the traditions). In the United States, the holiday is particularly popular, with the average American spending $189 on it in 2025.
... Read our full write-up on the holiday here.

 

Also, check out ... 

> How a Boston pharmacist gave us "Kiss Me" candy hearts. (Read)

> See a collection of Valentine's Day cards from the last century. (View)

> The sprawling supply chains behind cut flowers. (Listen)
> "Singles' Day" was created as an alternative to Valentine's Day. (Read)

 

Valentine's Day Takeaways

          ‘Nothing says love like chemicals’: Valentine’s roses often covered in pesticides, testing finds

Relatedly, surveyed Americans plan to spend $87 on their partner, on average, this Valentine's Day, down roughly 44% from last year.

          Celebrity couples exchange extravagant Valentine's Day gifts. 

 

 

ATTACHMENT THIRTY FOUR – FROM USA TODAY

Ladies, it's time for Galentine's Day. 💗💗 This girly-pop holiday falls on the day before Valentine's Day (eek ... Friday the 13th) and celebrates platonic love among female friends and female empowerment ( you can thank Amy Poehler ). So ditch your lovers, pop a bottle of rosé and celebrate the love you have for your besties and the incredible women in your life. We're kicking it breakfast style

 

 

ATTACHMENT THIRTY FIVE – FROM the ASSOCIATED PRESS

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ORDERED TO RESTORE GEORGE WASHINGTON SLAVERY EXHIBIT IT REMOVED IN PHILADELPHIA

By Hannah Schoenbaum   Updated 9:48 PM EST, February 16, 2026

 

An exhibit about nine people enslaved by George Washington must be restored at his former home in Philadelphia after President Donald Trump’s administration took it down last month, a federal judge ruled on Presidents Day, the federal holiday honoring Washington’s legacy.

The city of Philadelphia sued in January after the National Park Service removed the explanatory panels from Independence National Historical Park, the site where George and Martha Washington lived with nine of their slaves in the 1790s, when Philadelphia was briefly the nation’s capital.

The removal came in response to a Trump executive order “restoring truth and sanity to American history” at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks. It directed the Interior Department to ensure those sites do not display elements that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”

U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe ruled Monday that all materials must be restored in their original condition while a lawsuit challenging the removal’s legality plays out. She prohibited Trump officials from installing replacements that explain the history differently.

 

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Rufe, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, began her written order with a quote from George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984” and compared the Trump administration to the book’s totalitarian regime called the Ministry of Truth, which revised historical records to align with its own narrative.

“As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984 now existed, with its motto ‘Ignorance is Strength,’ this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts,” Rufe wrote. “It does not.”

She had warned Justice Department lawyers during a January hearing that they were making “dangerous” and “horrifying” statements when they said Trump officials can choose which parts of U.S. history to display at National Park Service sites.

The Interior Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling, which came while government offices were closed for the federal holiday.

The judge did not provide a timeline for when the exhibit must be restored. Federal officials can appeal the ruling.

The historical site is among several where the administration has quietly removed content about the history of enslaved people, LGBTQ+ people and Native Americans.

Signage that has disappeared from Grand Canyon National Park said settlers pushed Native American tribes “off their land” for the park to be established and “exploited” the landscape for mining and grazing.

Last week, a rainbow flag was taken down at the Stonewall National Monument, where bar patrons rebelled against a police raid and catalyzed the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The administration has also removed references to transgender people from its webpage about the monument, despite several trans women of color being key figures in the uprising.

The Philadelphia exhibit, created two decades ago in a partnership between the city and federal officials, included biographical details about each of the nine people enslaved by the Washingtons at the home, including two who escaped.

Among them was Oney Judge, who was born into slavery at the family’s plantation in Mount Vernon, Virginia, and later escaped from their Philadelphia house in 1796. Judge fled north to New Hampshire, a free state, while Washington had her declared a fugitive and published advertisements seeking her return.

Because Judge had escaped from the Philadelphia house, the National Park Service in 2022 added it to a national network of Underground Railroad sites where the agency pledged to “honor, preserve and promote the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight.”

Rufe said the removal of materials about Judge “conceals crucial information linking the site” to the network.

Only the names of Judge and the other eight enslaved people — Austin, Paris, Hercules, Richmond, Giles, Moll and Joe, who each had a single name, and Christopher Sheels — remained engraved in a cement wall after federal employees took a crowbar to the plaques on Jan. 22.

Hercules also escaped in 1797 after he was brought to Mount Vernon, where the Washingtons had many other slaves. He reached New York City despite being declared a fugitive slave and lived under the name Hercules Posey.

Several local politicians and Black community leaders celebrated the ruling, which came while many were out rallying at the site for its restoration.

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Philadelphia Democrat, said the community prevailed against an attempt by the Trump administration to “whitewash our history.”

“Philadelphians fought back, and I could not be more proud of how we stood together,” he said.

 

 

ATTACHMENT THIRTY SIX – FROM THE HILL

Johnson denies request for Jesse Jackson to lie in honor in Capitol

by Emily Brooks - 02/20/26 2:59 PM ET

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) denied a request to have the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson lie in honor in the Capitol, a source confirmed to The Hill.

After the civil rights leader died this week at age 84, Jackson’s family requested that he lie in honor in the Capitol, another source said. CNN was first to report Johnson’s decision.

The Speaker considered past precedent of mostly reserving the practice for former presidents and select former government officials and military honorees. Requests for conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and former Vice President Dick Cheney to lie in the Capitol were also recently denied.

The last person to lie in state in the Capitol rotunda was former President Jimmy Carter, who died last year at age 100.

But other cultural figures have lain in honor in the Capitol rotunda in the past. The Rev. Billy Graham lay in honor in the Capitol rotunda in 2018, and civil rights leader Rosa Parks lay in honor in 2005.

Jackson, a two-time presidential candidate, was remembered by the political world for his legacy as a world-renowned civil rights activist and Democratic strategist. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition, which he founded, revealed in November that he was admitted to a hospital “under observation” for progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare disorder that he had been managing for more than 10 years.  

President Trump labeled him a “force of nature like few others before him.”

He is expected to be memorialized in Chicago in the coming weeks, according to his family.