Chinese New Year (movable date)
Chinese New Year marks the change of zodiac animal, and its date shifts each year between 21 January and 20 February. The traditional rule fixes it to the second new moon after the winter solstice, anchoring it to the Chinese luni-solar calendar. The direct consequence for astrology: someone born in late January or early February may belong to the previous year’s animal, as long as the new year has not yet arrived. The date is therefore never 1 January.
Why the date dances
The Chinese calendar follows the moon as much as the sun. You start from the winter solstice, let a first new moon pass, and it is the second that opens the year. Since lunations run a little over twenty-nine days, the count lands on a different date each time, hence that swing of a whole month from one year to the next.
The trap of January births
If you were born in early February, always check the exact new year date for your year. Before it, you still carry last year’s animal; after it, the new one. Many people get their animal wrong for this single reason. A shift of a few days can turn a supposed Dragon into a very real Rabbit.
Sources
- , The Mathematics of the Chinese Calendar (2010)