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Chinese New Year 2011
Thursday, 3 February 2011. It opened the Year of the Metal Rabbit, 辛卯, which ran until 22 January 2012.
- New Year's Eve2 February 2011
- New Year's Day3 February 2011
- Lantern Festival17 February 2011
- Animal and elementMetal Rabbit 金兔, Yin
- Year ends22 January 2012; the next new year is 23 January 2012
What the Rabbit year carries
The Rabbit
Gentle, tactful and perceptive. The Rabbit prefers harmony to confrontation and tends to be the one everyone confides in.
The Jade Rabbit lives on the moon, pounding the elixir of life under the osmanthus tree; look for it at Mid-Autumn.
Metal 金
Metal years are associated with resolve and clarity: the edge of a blade, the ring of a bell. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
The pairing of stem and branch, 辛卯, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Rabbit year was 1951, the next is 2071.
The 2011 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2011 only.
| Day | Date in 2011 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 26 January 2011 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 2 February 2011, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 3 February 2011, Thursday | The Year of the Rabbit begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 4 February 2011 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 7 February 2011 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 17 February 2011, 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 2011
2011 is a Metal Rabbit year, 辛卯, the 28th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1951 and comes again in 2071; the previous Rabbit year was 1999, the next is 2023. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 松柏木.
New Year's Day fell on a Thursday; the reunion dinner was the Wednesday evening before. The festival landed on 3 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 2011?
Between 3 February 2011 and 22 January 2012 you are a Metal Rabbit.
Anyone born from 3 February 2011 to 22 January 2012 is a Metal Rabbit (辛卯) and turns 15 in 2026. Gentle, tactful and perceptive. The Rabbit prefers harmony to confrontation and tends to be the one everyone confides in. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 2011, before the 3 February 2011 new year? Then the previous animal, the Tiger, 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 Rabbit comes round again) are 2023, 2035, 2047, 2059; the next one is 2035. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rabbit best are the Goat, the Pig and the Dog: 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.
- 20059 February 2005, Wood Rooster
- 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
- 201223 January 2012, Water Dragon
- 201310 February 2013, Water Snake
- 201431 January 2014, Wood Horse
- 201519 February 2015, Wood Goat
- 20168 February 2016, Fire Monkey
- 201728 January 2017, Fire Rooster
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 2011?
Thursday, 3 February 2011. New Year's Eve was 2 February 2011, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 17 February 2011.
What animal is 2011 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rabbit. From 3 February 2011 to 22 January 2012 it was the year of the Metal Rabbit (辛卯). Before 3 February 2011, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Tiger.
How old is someone born in 2011?
Someone born in the Year of the Rabbit 2011 turns 15 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2023, 2035, 2047.
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 Rabbit 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 Rabbit 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.