Lunar new year · updated every year
The Chinese new year, explained simply.
The next Chinese new year falls on February 6, 2027: it opens the year of the Goat of Fire. The date changes every year because the Chinese calendar follows the Moon: the new year matches the second new moon after the winter solstice, between late January and mid-February. It’s the largest festival in the Chinese world, and the moment your Chinese sign changes the guard.
Why does the date change every year?
The Chinese calendar is lunisolar: its months follow the lunations (29.5 days), realigned on the Sun. The first day of the year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, calculated on China time. The result: the new year swings between January 21 and February 20, and no year looks like the last. Our dates come from the Hong Kong Observatory tables, not from an approximation.
Born in January or February: check your sign
It’s the classic trap of the quick converters: if you were born before the lunar new year of your birth year, your Chinese sign is the previous year’s. Each year page gives the exact switch: find yours below or through the twelve signs.
The current year: the Horse of Fire
The Fire Horse is freedom at full speed: your warmth turns blazing, you set encounters alight and you charge toward whatever sets you alive. The care to take is to learn to stop before you run yourself into the ground.
The full portrait of the year: the year 2026.
The coming Chinese new year dates
| Year | New year date | Animal and element |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | February 17, 2026 | Horse of Fire |
| 2027 | February 6, 2027 | Goat of Fire |
| 2028 | January 26, 2028 | Monkey of Earth |
| 2029 | February 13, 2029 | Rooster of Earth |
| 2030 | February 3, 2030 | Dog of Metal |
These dates are freely citable with a link back to this page: they come from the official tables and the page updates itself every year.