Cathay Ink › Chinese New Year › 2005
Chinese New Year 2005
Wednesday, 9 February 2005. It opened the Year of the Wood Rooster, 乙酉, which ran until 28 January 2006.
- New Year's Eve8 February 2005
- New Year's Day9 February 2005
- Lantern Festival23 February 2005
- Animal and elementWood Rooster 木鸡, Yin
- Year ends28 January 2006; the next new year is 29 January 2006
What the Rooster year carries
The Rooster
Observant, honest and hard-working. The Rooster announces the dawn: it is the sign of punctuality and of saying what it sees.
A rooster crowing at the right hour was once how a village knew the day had begun.
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, 乙酉, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Rooster year was 1945, the next is 2065.
The 2005 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2005 only.
| Day | Date in 2005 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 1 February 2005 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 8 February 2005, Tuesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 9 February 2005, Wednesday | The Year of the Rooster begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 10 February 2005 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 13 February 2005 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 23 February 2005, Wednesday | 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 2005
2005 is a Wood Rooster year, 乙酉, the 22th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1945 and comes again in 2065; the previous Rooster year was 1993, the next is 2017. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 泉中水.
New Year's Day fell on a Wednesday; the reunion dinner was the Tuesday evening before. The festival landed on 9 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 2005?
Between 9 February 2005 and 28 January 2006 you are a Wood Rooster.
Anyone born from 9 February 2005 to 28 January 2006 is a Wood Rooster (乙酉) and turns 21 in 2026. Observant, honest and hard-working. The Rooster announces the dawn: it is the sign of punctuality and of saying what it sees. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
Born in January or early February 2005, before the 9 February 2005 new year? Then the previous animal, the Monkey, 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 Rooster comes round again) are 2017, 2029, 2041, 2053; the next one is 2029. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rooster best are the Ox, the Snake and the Dragon: 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.
- 199916 February 1999, Earth Rabbit
- 20005 February 2000, Metal Dragon
- 200124 January 2001, Metal Snake
- 200212 February 2002, Water Horse
- 20031 February 2003, Water Goat
- 200422 January 2004, Wood Monkey
- 200629 January 2006, Fire Dog
- 200718 February 2007, Fire Pig
- 20087 February 2008, Earth Rat
- 200926 January 2009, Earth Ox
- 201014 February 2010, Metal Tiger
- 20113 February 2011, Metal Rabbit
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 2005?
Wednesday, 9 February 2005. New Year's Eve was 8 February 2005, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 23 February 2005.
What animal is 2005 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rooster. From 9 February 2005 to 28 January 2006 it was the year of the Wood Rooster (乙酉). Before 9 February 2005, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Monkey.
How old is someone born in 2005?
Someone born in the Year of the Rooster 2005 turns 21 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2017, 2029, 2041.
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 Rooster 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 Rooster 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.