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Chinese New Year 2022
Tuesday, 1 February 2022. It opened the Year of the Water Tiger, 壬寅, which ran until 21 January 2023.
- New Year's Eve31 January 2022
- New Year's Day1 February 2022
- Lantern Festival15 February 2022
- Animal and elementWater Tiger 水虎, Yang
- Year ends21 January 2023; the next new year is 22 January 2023
What the Tiger year carries
The Tiger
Bold, warm and unafraid of risk. The Tiger is the king of the mountain in Chinese lore, a guardian figure painted on doors and sewn onto children's shoes to keep harm away.
Children born in Tiger years were given tiger-head hats and shoes so the animal's courage would protect 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, 壬寅, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Tiger year was 1962, the next is 2082.
The 2022 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2022 only.
| Day | Date in 2022 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 25 January 2022 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 31 January 2022, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 1 February 2022, Tuesday | The Year of the Tiger begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 2 February 2022 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 5 February 2022 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 15 February 2022, Tuesday | 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 2022
2022 is a Water Tiger year, 壬寅, the 39th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1962 and comes again in 2082; the previous Tiger year was 2010, the next is 2034. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 金箔金.
New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner was the Monday evening before. The festival landed on 1 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 2022?
Between 1 February 2022 and 21 January 2023 you are a Water Tiger.
Anyone born from 1 February 2022 to 21 January 2023 is a Water Tiger (壬寅) and turns 4 in 2026. Bold, warm and unafraid of risk. The Tiger is the king of the mountain in Chinese lore, a guardian figure painted on doors and sewn onto children's shoes to keep harm away. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 2022, before the 1 February 2022 new year? Then the previous animal, the Ox, 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 Tiger comes round again) are 2034, 2046, 2058; the next one is 2034. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Tiger best are the Horse, the Dog and the Pig: 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.
- 20168 February 2016, Fire Monkey
- 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
- 202322 January 2023, Water Rabbit
- 202410 February 2024, Wood Dragon
- 202529 January 2025, Wood Snake
- 202617 February 2026, Fire Horse
- 20276 February 2027, Fire Goat
- 202826 January 2028, Earth Monkey
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 2022?
Tuesday, 1 February 2022. New Year's Eve was 31 January 2022, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 15 February 2022.
What animal is 2022 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Tiger. From 1 February 2022 to 21 January 2023 it was the year of the Water Tiger (壬寅). Before 1 February 2022, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Ox.
How old is someone born in 2022?
Someone born in the Year of the Tiger 2022 turns 4 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 2034, 2046.
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 Tiger 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 Tiger 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.