Chinese New Year & Zodiac
CNY Date
Element
If born before the CNY date, your sign belongs to the previous year.
What is Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year (also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival) is the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar. It falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, which places it between January 21 and February 20 each year. The celebration lasts 15 days, ending with the Lantern Festival.
The 12 Zodiac Animals
The Chinese zodiac runs in a 12-year cycle. Each year is associated with one animal and its characteristics:
The Five Elements
Each year also carries one of five elements, cycling in pairs (Yang then Yin) over a 10-year span before repeating. This creates a 60-year grand cycle:
Tips
- If you were born in January or early February, always check the CNY date for your birth year. You may belong to the previous year's zodiac sign.
- The full 60-year cycle (12 animals x 5 elements) means your exact birth year combination repeats only once in a lifetime.
- Chinese New Year is also celebrated as Lunar New Year in Korea (Seollal), Vietnam (Tet), and other East and Southeast Asian cultures, though traditions differ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Chinese New Year fall on a different date each year?
The Chinese calendar is lunisolar — it tracks both the lunar cycle (months) and the solar cycle (seasons). Each month starts on a new moon, but an extra intercalary month is added periodically to keep the calendar aligned with the solar year. This causes the Gregorian date of CNY to shift each year, though it always lands between January 21 and February 20.
What is the Year of the Dragon known for?
Dragon years are considered the most auspicious in the zodiac. Birth rates in China and across the Chinese diaspora noticeably rise in Dragon years as parents try to have children born under this sign. Dragons are associated with power, luck, and imperial authority in Chinese tradition.
How is the Chinese zodiac different from Western astrology?
Western astrology assigns signs based on the month of birth (12 signs per year). The Chinese zodiac assigns a sign based on the year of birth (one sign per year, cycling every 12 years). Chinese astrology also incorporates month, day, and hour signs for more detailed readings, but the year sign is the most widely known.
Is the year of your own zodiac sign lucky?
Counterintuitively, your birth year sign (Ben Ming Nian) is traditionally considered unlucky in Chinese culture. It is believed to offend Tai Sui, the god of the year. Wearing red, given as a gift from an older relative, is a common way to ward off bad luck during your Ben Ming Nian.