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Chinese New Year 2017
Saturday, 28 January 2017. It opened the Year of the Fire Rooster, 丁酉, which ran until 15 February 2018.
- New Year's Eve27 January 2017
- New Year's Day28 January 2017
- Lantern Festival11 February 2017
- Animal and elementFire Rooster 火鸡, Yin
- Year ends15 February 2018; the next new year is 16 February 2018
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.
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, 丁酉, returns once every sixty years; the last Fire Rooster year was 1957, the next is 2077.
The 2017 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2017 only.
| Day | Date in 2017 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 20 January 2017 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 27 January 2017, Friday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 28 January 2017, Saturday | The Year of the Rooster begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 29 January 2017 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 1 February 2017 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 11 February 2017, Saturday | 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 2017
2017 is a Fire Rooster year, 丁酉, the 34th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1957 and comes again in 2077; the previous Rooster year was 2005, the next is 2029. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 山下火.
New Year's Day fell on a Saturday, so the reunion dinner on 27 January 2017 landed on a Friday evening. The festival landed on 28 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 2017?
Between 28 January 2017 and 15 February 2018 you are a Fire Rooster.
Anyone born from 28 January 2017 to 15 February 2018 is a Fire Rooster (丁酉) and turns 9 in 2026. Observant, honest and hard-working. The Rooster announces the dawn: it is the sign of punctuality and of saying what it sees. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
Born in January or early February 2017, before the 28 January 2017 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 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.
- 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
- 20168 February 2016, Fire Monkey
- 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
- 202322 January 2023, Water Rabbit
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 2017?
Saturday, 28 January 2017. New Year's Eve was 27 January 2017, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 11 February 2017.
What animal is 2017 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rooster. From 28 January 2017 to 15 February 2018 it was the year of the Fire Rooster (丁酉). Before 28 January 2017, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Monkey.
How old is someone born in 2017?
Someone born in the Year of the Rooster 2017 turns 9 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 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.