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Chinese New Year 2009
Monday, 26 January 2009. It opened the Year of the Earth Ox, 己丑, which ran until 13 February 2010.
- New Year's Eve25 January 2009
- New Year's Day26 January 2009
- Lantern Festival9 February 2009
- Animal and elementEarth Ox 土牛, Yin
- Year ends13 February 2010; the next new year is 14 February 2010
What the Ox year carries
The Ox
Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion.
The Ox would have won the river race, but carried the Rat across and came second without complaint.
Earth 土
Earth years are associated with steadiness and care: harvest, soil, the centre. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
The pairing of stem and branch, 己丑, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Ox year was 1949, the next is 2069.
The 2009 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2009 only.
| Day | Date in 2009 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 18 January 2009 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 25 January 2009, Sunday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 26 January 2009, Monday | The Year of the Ox begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 27 January 2009 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 30 January 2009 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 9 February 2009, Monday | 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 2009
2009 is an Earth Ox year, 己丑, the 26th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1949 and comes again in 2069; the previous Ox year was 1997, the next is 2021. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 霹雳火.
New Year's Day fell on a Monday; the reunion dinner was the Sunday evening before. The festival landed on 26 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 2009?
Between 26 January 2009 and 13 February 2010 you are an Earth Ox.
Anyone born from 26 January 2009 to 13 February 2010 is an Earth Ox (己丑) and turns 17 in 2026. Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
Born in January or early February 2009, before the 26 January 2009 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rat, 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 Ox comes round again) are 2021, 2033, 2045, 2057; the next one is 2033. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit an Ox best are the Snake, the Rooster and the Rat: 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.
- 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
- 201014 February 2010, Metal Tiger
- 20113 February 2011, Metal Rabbit
- 201223 January 2012, Water Dragon
- 201310 February 2013, Water Snake
- 201431 January 2014, Wood Horse
- 201519 February 2015, Wood Goat
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 2009?
Monday, 26 January 2009. New Year's Eve was 25 January 2009, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 9 February 2009.
What animal is 2009 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Ox. From 26 January 2009 to 13 February 2010 it was the year of the Earth Ox (己丑). Before 26 January 2009, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rat.
How old is someone born in 2009?
Someone born in the Year of the Ox 2009 turns 17 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2021, 2033, 2045.
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 an Ox 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 Ox 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.