Sunset Park shops stock up on red couplets, prints, and zodiac décor

With the 2026 Lunar New Year approaching, New York’s Chinese community is already leaning into the season’s atmosphere. Symbols tied to the Year of the Horse, often associated with momentum and good fortune, are showing up across storefronts and dining rooms as holiday preparations pick up.

Along Eighth Avenue in Sunset Park, many Chinese grocery and gift shops have started bringing in red Spring Festival couplets, New Year prints, and other seasonal decorations, drawing customers who stop to browse and buy. At the same time, Chinese banquet restaurants are promoting holiday dishes and Lunar New Year meal packages and have begun taking reservations and pre-orders in advance, with some popular items already seeing strong demand.

Year of the Horse symbolism: speed, action, and breakthroughs

2026 is the Lunar Year of the Horse. In Chinese tradition, the horse is often seen as a symbol of drive, speed, and breakthroughs, linked to the spirit of pushing forward and taking on challenges.

Many four-character idioms featuring horses carry these meanings, including phrases like “taking the lead,” “success arrives with the horse,” and “ten thousand horses charging forward.” They reflect common hopes for getting a head start, moving quickly, and reaching goals.

Culturally, the horse is often associated with heroism, decisive action, and growth. Historically, horses were essential for warfare and travel, and they also came to symbolize the ability to achieve, to venture far, and to open new paths. In folk beliefs and festive imagery, horse motifs are often used to suggest good luck, progress in work or business, and a leap forward in life.

Compared with zodiac signs that can feel more inward or conservative, the horse is commonly linked with outward movement and actively pursuing opportunity. That energetic association helps explain why horse-year elements tend to show up prominently in decorations, New Year prints, red envelope designs, holiday dish names, and seasonal greetings, often carrying an optimistic, ambitious tone.

A “lucky” zodiac year drives strong holiday sales

A Chinese shop owner who runs multiple grocery stores along Eighth Avenue said that in years with especially positive zodiac associations, like the Horse or the Dragon, Lunar New Year décor often sells particularly well. Items with clearly auspicious symbolism remain top sellers, she said, such as wall hangings with the character “Fu” (good fortune), or Spring Festival decorations printed with horse imagery.

For red envelopes, she said she stocked up early again this year, bringing in both classic traditional styles and new designs that incorporate horse-year elements. She added that the two styles tend to sell evenly. Traditional designs, because they are not tied to a specific zodiac sign, can still be used in a future year if customers don’t finish them, so many people buy multiple packs at once to keep on hand.

She also noted that most Lunar New Year decorations this season are priced around $4 to $15, and that overall pricing is even slightly lower than last year. She joked that keeping prices reasonable helps ensure everything sells before the holiday, “otherwise you have to wait another 12 years to bring those zodiac decorations back out.”

Banquet restaurants heat up early with reunion meals

Along Eighth Avenue, several Chinese banquet restaurants have also begun rolling out “lucky New Year dishes to-go,” letting families share a full reunion-style spread at home even if they don’t dine out.

At Park Asia (known in Chinese as Cui Yuan Restaurant), the restaurant is again promoting its classic Cantonese-style pen cai (a layered “basin” feast), offering sizes for five to 12 people. Prices range from $368 to $808, with a wide variety of ingredients.

Ingredients listed include fish maw, large shrimp, dried oysters, shiitake mushrooms, fat choy (black moss), lotus root, arrowhead root, taro, braised pork with bean curd sticks, radish, pork skin, handmade meatballs with napa cabbage, fish balls, and beef balls. Higher-end versions add premium items such as Australian abalone (graded “five-head”), sea cucumber, large dried scallops, and duck feet.

During preparation, pen cai combines multiple Cantonese techniques, such as steaming, boiling, braising, and frying. Ingredients are layered based on how long they can simmer, then finished with a rich abalone sauce or broth. Families can keep it gently heated and eat it gradually, which is one reason it remains a popular choice for New Year’s Eve dinner. The dish is also commonly associated with reunion, abundance, and prosperity.

A manager surnamed Wong said this year’s pen cai options and pricing are broadly similar to past years. In addition to takeout, the restaurant is also preparing for Lunar New Year dine-in reunion banquets. The menu includes several holiday dishes designed around auspicious names, such as “Prosperity and great fortune,” “The Dragon King celebrates the New Year,” “Happy reunion,” and “Many children, many blessings.” Prices for some of these dishes are slightly higher than last year, and the restaurant expects reservations to pick up starting about two weeks before the holiday.

The restaurant has also added seasonal desserts this year, including New Year rice cake, sesame fritters, and fa gao (prosperity cake), meant to add sweetness to the holiday table and symbolize rising success and a sweet, harmonious year ahead.

Lunar New Year falls on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Traditionally, the New Year season runs 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival, which lands on March 3 this year.