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Chinese New Year 2002
Tuesday, 12 February 2002. It opened the Year of the Water Horse, 壬午, which ran until 31 January 2003.
- New Year's Eve11 February 2002
- New Year's Day12 February 2002
- Lantern Festival26 February 2002
- Animal and elementWater Horse 水马, Yang
- Year ends31 January 2003; the next new year is 1 February 2003
What the Horse year carries
The Horse
Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion.
马到成功, "success as soon as the horse arrives", is the wish written on Horse-year greetings.
Water 水
Water years are associated with adaptability and depth: rivers finding their way. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
The pairing of stem and branch, 壬午, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Horse year was 1942, the next is 2062.
The 2002 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2002 only.
| Day | Date in 2002 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 4 February 2002 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 11 February 2002, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 12 February 2002, Tuesday | The Year of the Horse begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 13 February 2002 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 16 February 2002 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 26 February 2002, Tuesday | 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 2002
2002 is a Water Horse year, 壬午, the 19th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1942 and comes again in 2062; the previous Horse year was 1990, the next is 2014. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 杨柳木.
New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner was the Monday evening before. The festival landed on 12 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 2002?
Between 12 February 2002 and 31 January 2003 you are a Water Horse.
Anyone born from 12 February 2002 to 31 January 2003 is a Water Horse (壬午) and turns 24 in 2026. Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 2002, before the 12 February 2002 new year? Then the previous animal, the Snake, 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 Horse comes round again) are 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050, 2062; the next one is 2026. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Horse best are the Tiger, the Dog and the Goat: 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.
- 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
- 200124 January 2001, Metal Snake
- 20031 February 2003, Water Goat
- 200422 January 2004, Wood Monkey
- 20059 February 2005, Wood Rooster
- 200629 January 2006, Fire Dog
- 200718 February 2007, Fire Pig
- 20087 February 2008, Earth Rat
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 2002?
Tuesday, 12 February 2002. New Year's Eve was 11 February 2002, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 26 February 2002.
What animal is 2002 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Horse. From 12 February 2002 to 31 January 2003 it was the year of the Water Horse (壬午). Before 12 February 2002, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Snake.
How old is someone born in 2002?
Someone born in the Year of the Horse 2002 turns 24 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050.
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 Horse 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 Horse 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.