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Chinese New Year 2016
Monday, 8 February 2016. It opened the Year of the Fire Monkey, 丙申, which ran until 27 January 2017.
- New Year's Eve7 February 2016
- New Year's Day8 February 2016
- Lantern Festival22 February 2016
- Animal and elementFire Monkey 火猴, Yang
- Year ends27 January 2017; the next new year is 28 January 2017
What the Monkey year carries
The Monkey
Clever, playful and inventive. The Monkey solves problems sideways and keeps everyone laughing while it does.
Sun Wukong, the Monkey King of Journey to the West, is the most loved character in Chinese literature.
Fire 火
Fire years are associated with warmth and drive: summer, lanterns, the hearth. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
The pairing of stem and branch, 丙申, returns once every sixty years; the last Fire Monkey year was 1956, the next is 2076.
The 2016 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2016 only.
| Day | Date in 2016 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 1 February 2016 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 7 February 2016, Sunday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 8 February 2016, Monday | The Year of the Monkey begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 9 February 2016 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 12 February 2016 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 22 February 2016, 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 2016
2016 is a Fire Monkey year, 丙申, the 33th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1956 and comes again in 2076; the previous Monkey year was 2004, the next is 2028. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 山下火.
New Year's Day fell on a Monday; the reunion dinner was the Sunday evening before. The festival landed on 8 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 2016?
Between 8 February 2016 and 27 January 2017 you are a Fire Monkey.
Anyone born from 8 February 2016 to 27 January 2017 is a Fire Monkey (丙申) and turns 10 in 2026. Clever, playful and inventive. The Monkey solves problems sideways and keeps everyone laughing while it does. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
Born in January or early February 2016, before the 8 February 2016 new year? Then the previous animal, the Goat, 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 Monkey comes round again) are 2028, 2040, 2052; the next one is 2028. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Monkey best are the Rat, the Dragon and the Snake: 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.
- 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
- 201728 January 2017, Fire Rooster
- 201816 February 2018, Earth Dog
- 20195 February 2019, Earth Pig
- 202025 January 2020, Metal Rat
- 202112 February 2021, Metal Ox
- 20221 February 2022, Water Tiger
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 2016?
Monday, 8 February 2016. New Year's Eve was 7 February 2016, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 22 February 2016.
What animal is 2016 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Monkey. From 8 February 2016 to 27 January 2017 it was the year of the Fire Monkey (丙申). Before 8 February 2016, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Goat.
How old is someone born in 2016?
Someone born in the Year of the Monkey 2016 turns 10 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2028, 2040.
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 Monkey 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 Monkey 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.