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Chinese New Year 2012
Monday, 23 January 2012. It opened the Year of the Water Dragon, 壬辰, which ran until 9 February 2013.
- New Year's Eve22 January 2012
- New Year's Day23 January 2012
- Lantern Festival6 February 2012
- Animal and elementWater Dragon 水龙, Yang
- Year ends9 February 2013; the next new year is 10 February 2013
What the Dragon year carries
The Dragon
Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem.
Dragon years see a rise in births across the Chinese-speaking world: parents plan for them.
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, 壬辰, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Dragon year was 1952, the next is 2072.
The 2012 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2012 only.
| Day | Date in 2012 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 16 January 2012 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 22 January 2012, Sunday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 23 January 2012, Monday | The Year of the Dragon begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 24 January 2012 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 27 January 2012 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 6 February 2012, 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 2012
2012 is a Water Dragon year, 壬辰, the 29th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1952 and comes again in 2072; the previous Dragon year was 2000, the next is 2024. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 长流水.
New Year's Day fell on a Monday; the reunion dinner was the Sunday evening before. The festival landed on 23 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 2012?
Between 23 January 2012 and 9 February 2013 you are a Water Dragon.
Anyone born from 23 January 2012 to 9 February 2013 is a Water Dragon (壬辰) and turns 14 in 2026. Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 2012, before the 23 January 2012 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rabbit, 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 Dragon comes round again) are 2024, 2036, 2048, 2060; the next one is 2036. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Dragon best are the Rat, the Monkey and the Rooster: 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.
- 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
- 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
- 201816 February 2018, Earth Dog
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 2012?
Monday, 23 January 2012. New Year's Eve was 22 January 2012, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 6 February 2012.
What animal is 2012 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dragon. From 23 January 2012 to 9 February 2013 it was the year of the Water Dragon (壬辰). Before 23 January 2012, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rabbit.
How old is someone born in 2012?
Someone born in the Year of the Dragon 2012 turns 14 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2024, 2036, 2048.
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 Dragon 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 Dragon 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.