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Chinese New Year 2027
Saturday, 6 February 2027. It opens the Year of the Fire Goat, 丁未, which runs until 25 January 2028.
- New Year's Eve5 February 2027
- New Year's Day6 February 2027
- Lantern Festival20 February 2027
- Animal and elementFire Goat 火羊, Yin
- Year ends25 January 2028; the next new year is 26 January 2028
What the Goat year carries
The Goat
Kind, creative and calm. The Goat is the artist of the cycle, drawn to beauty and to taking care of people.
The character 羊 sits inside 美, the character for beauty, and 善, the character for kindness.
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, 丁未, returns once every sixty years; the last Fire Goat year was 1967, the next is 2087.
The 2027 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2027 only.
| Day | Date in 2027 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 30 January 2027 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 5 February 2027, Friday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 6 February 2027, Saturday | The Year of the Goat begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 7 February 2027 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 10 February 2027 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 20 February 2027, Saturday | First full moon: lanterns, riddles, sweet rice balls. The season closes. |
A couplet for your own door, 2027
Two seven-character lines, a banner and a 福 written for your name and what the year should bring, explained in English, with print files for a home printer or a print shop.
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 2027
2027 is a Fire Goat year, 丁未, the 44th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1967 and comes again in 2087; the previous Goat year was 2015, the next is 2039. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 天河水.
New Year's Day falls on a Saturday, so the reunion dinner on 5 February 2027 lands on a Friday evening. The festival lands on 6 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Goat years carry an old mainland saying, 十羊九不全 ("of ten goats, nine are incomplete"), and in 2015 some parents were reported to be timing births to avoid it. The tradition itself says the opposite: the Goat is gentle, artistic and well cared for. The last Fire Goat year was 1967; the one before, 1907.
A child born between 6 February 2027 and 25 January 2028 is a Fire Goat: Kind, creative and calm. The Goat is the artist of the cycle, drawn to beauty and to taking care of people. A baby born in January 2027 before the new year is still a Horse.
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.
- 202410 February 2024, Wood Dragon
- 202529 January 2025, Wood Snake
- 202617 February 2026, Fire Horse
- 202826 January 2028, Earth Monkey
- 202913 February 2029, Earth Rooster
- 20303 February 2030, Metal Dog
- 203123 January 2031, Metal Pig
- 203211 February 2032, Water Rat
- 203331 January 2033, Water Ox
- 203419 February 2034, Wood Tiger
- 20358 February 2035, Wood Rabbit
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2027?
Saturday, 6 February 2027. New Year's Eve is 5 February 2027, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 20 February 2027.
What animal is 2027 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Goat. From 6 February 2027 to 25 January 2028 it is the year of the Fire Goat (丁未). Before 6 February 2027, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Horse.
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 Goat 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 Goat 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.