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Chinese New Year 1994
Thursday, 10 February 1994. It opened the Year of the Wood Dog, 甲戌, which ran until 30 January 1995.
- New Year's Eve9 February 1994
- New Year's Day10 February 1994
- Lantern Festival24 February 1994
- Animal and elementWood Dog 木狗, Yang
- Year ends30 January 1995; the next new year is 31 January 1995
What the Dog year carries
The Dog
Loyal, fair and protective. The Dog keeps its word and its friends, and has a strong sense of what is right.
Dogs guard the home in both the real and the spirit world; stone and paper dogs stand at old gates.
Wood 木
Wood years are associated with growth and flexibility: spring, bamboo, new shoots. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
The pairing of stem and branch, 甲戌, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Dog year was 1934, the next is 2054.
The 1994 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1994 only.
| Day | Date in 1994 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 3 February 1994 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 9 February 1994, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 10 February 1994, Thursday | The Year of the Dog begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 11 February 1994 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 14 February 1994 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 24 February 1994, Thursday | First full moon: lanterns, riddles, sweet rice balls. The season closes. |
In mainland China the public holiday usually runs from the eve for seven or eight days; Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia each keep their own, shorter, holiday. How the days are kept, in more detail: the traditions.
What is particular to 1994
1994 is a Wood Dog year, 甲戌, the 11th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1934 and comes again in 2054; the previous Dog year was 1982, the next is 2006. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 山头火.
New Year's Day fell on a Thursday; the reunion dinner was the Wednesday evening before. The festival landed on 10 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1994?
Between 10 February 1994 and 30 January 1995 you are a Wood Dog.
Anyone born from 10 February 1994 to 30 January 1995 is a Wood Dog (甲戌) and turns 32 in 2026. Loyal, fair and protective. The Dog keeps its word and its friends, and has a strong sense of what is right. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
Born in January or early February 1994, before the 10 February 1994 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rooster, is yours: the zodiac follows the lunar calendar, not 1 January. The zodiac calculator settles it from the exact date.
Your zodiac years (本命年, when the Dog comes round again) are 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042, 2054; the next one is 2030. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Dog best are the Tiger, the Horse and the Rabbit: the compatibility table has every pair.
Chinese New Year in other years
The second new moon after the winter solstice, so it moves between 21 January and 20 February. Every year from 1924 to 2050.
- 198817 February 1988, Earth Dragon
- 19896 February 1989, Earth Snake
- 199027 January 1990, Metal Horse
- 199115 February 1991, Metal Goat
- 19924 February 1992, Water Monkey
- 199323 January 1993, Water Rooster
- 199531 January 1995, Wood Pig
- 199619 February 1996, Fire Rat
- 19977 February 1997, Fire Ox
- 199828 January 1998, Earth Tiger
- 199916 February 1999, Earth Rabbit
- 20005 February 2000, Metal Dragon
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1994?
Thursday, 10 February 1994. New Year's Eve was 9 February 1994, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 24 February 1994.
What animal is 1994 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dog. From 10 February 1994 to 30 January 1995 it was the year of the Wood Dog (甲戌). Before 10 February 1994, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rooster.
How old is someone born in 1994?
Someone born in the Year of the Dog 1994 turns 32 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042.
Why does the date change every year?
The festival falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, so it moves between 21 January and 20 February on the Western calendar.
How long does Chinese New Year last?
Fifteen days, from New Year's Day to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month. Most people have a week of public holiday in mainland China.
Born in a Dog year?
Your animal depends on the exact date, not the calendar year.
Find your animal
Enter your birthday and we count it by the lunar calendar: the animal, its element, your lunar birth date and your next zodiac year.
Chinese zodiac calculatorWant the Dog in ink on your wall? The zodiac poster sets the animal above your name and lunar birthday. Giving a Chinese name this new year? Three real names, free.