China Media Group (CMG) on Wednesday unveiled the official theme and logo for its 2026 Spring Festival Gala, celebrating the start of the Year of the Horse in the Chinese lunar calendar, which begins on February 17, 2026.
Inspired by a poetic line from an ancient anthology of Chinese poetry, the theme of the 2026 Spring Festival Gala is "Galloping steed, Onward unstoppable", CMG announced.
It conveys the determination of the Chinese people to create miracles and move forward with unwavering confidence, and the high expectations the Chinese people have for the new era and the new journey.
The logo for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala incorporates classic elements of traditional Chinese cloud, thunder, and meander patterns to depict four horses galloping side by side. This not only highlights the charm of traditional aesthetics but also conveys the enterprising spirit of the times.
The Chinese lunar year for 2026 is the Year of the Horse, one of the most dynamic and spirited in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac cycle, representing strength, perseverance and unstoppable momentum.
The Spring Festival Gala hosted by CMG has been an essential part of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations since 1983. The gala includes songs, dances, comic sketches, operas and folk arts.
The annual spectacle, known as the most-watched television program in the world, is broadcast on the eve of the Chinese New Year, when families come together to ring in the new lunar year.
This year's Spring Festival Eve falls on Feb 16, 2026.
China Media Group unveils theme, logo of 2026 Spring Festival Gala
The surge in fuel prices triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has squeezed fishermen's profits in Spain, putting thousands of fishing industry jobs in peril.
The war in Iran has been raging since February 28, disrupting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of the world's oil traverses, causing oil prices to increase.
In Spain, some fishermen are now questioning the future of their business amid skyrocketing diesel costs. Lucas Ramis, who recently invested in a new boat, said the high price of fuel is putting his livelihood at risk.
Spain is the world's largest octopus market, consuming as much as 85,000 tons annually. Despite this vast market, Ramis said they sometimes haul in as little as 10 kilograms of octopus, which is barely enough to cover the cost of starting the engines.
"Today, going out to work costs more than the work itself," said Ramis.
"Many people moor their boats on the shore, while people like us have to go out to work," he added.
The Spanish government announced a six-billion U.S. dollar aid package in March to alleviate the effects of the fuel crisis resulting from the Iran war, including around 30 million dollars for the fishing industry.
However, continuing volatility means prices could stay high and some say the subsidies sometimes don't reach their targets.
"The fuel price has seen a real rise of over 80 percent. We are drowning in taxes and rising costs, and we need this government help now. Some of the aid is actually loans, but no one will take out loans now with this instability and how indebted this industry already is. You don't see much happiness around here," said Domingo Bonin Bautista, president of Balearic Fishery Workers' Association.
Soaring fuel costs from Iran war squeeze fishermen's profits in Spain
