Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 17, 2026, marks a rare overlap in the calendar: Lunar New Year and Fat Tuesday fall on the same day.
Both are deeply meaningful within their respective cultural and spiritual traditions. Lunar New Year is celebrated across many Asian cultures as a time of renewal, family, intention, and honoring what has come before. Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) is part of the Christian liturgical calendar — a day of celebration before the reflective season of Lent begins.
The Lunar New Year begins with the new moon — a reset and a return to darkness before growth. Mardi Gras is also determined by the lunar cycle, timed in relationship to Easter and the phases of the moon.
It's a reminder that time is cyclical, not linear.
This concept is something I've been working with the last few weeks, especially realizing so much of my life I've viewed time as linear. For me this has looked like viewing successes and failures as more meaningful than they maybe should be given credit for. Meaningful in a sense that they mean anything at all or something about my worth or how far "ahead" or "behind" I am. Ideally indicating from time to time that I'm "right on time".
When really, each success and failure is a marker of that moment and nothing else. In the cyclical sense, once we achieve a success, the cycle keeps going. With failure, it's another earned lesson and we keep going knowing the next failure is (hopefully!) right around the corner.
Both the Lunar New Year and the season of Lent remind us that we aren't moving in a single, linear line towards a faraway destination. Rather, we're moving in circles.
There is plenty of time to feast, to fast, to rest, to shine, to celebrate, to hibernate, to birth whatever is next. Repeat.
This week, in honor of this week's events I invite you to create time for a small ritual.
Perhaps you can light a candle (signifying light and hope), prepare a favorite beverage (just for funsies), and then grab your journal/notebook and free write (choose which questions resonate or answer them all, no rules here, y'all):
What is something you've outgrown this year?
What is something you would like to let go? A feeling? A situation? A storyline? A habit? A relationship?
What is one intention you'd like to call forward for this next season? The next year?
What is something you want to celebrate?
If you'd like to add a little extra, sit in silence for 5-10 minutes (or play some favorite instrumentals in the background), adding in some box breath or simply breathing intentionally. Allow yourself to fully feel the rest, the power of your breath, and the lightness that a new year full of hope can offer.
Wishing you clarity, courage, and community for whatever comes next.
With love + vision,
Leslie