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Chinese New Year 2031
Thursday, 23 January 2031. It opens the Year of the Metal Pig, 辛亥, which runs until 10 February 2032.
- New Year's Eve22 January 2031
- New Year's Day23 January 2031
- Lantern Festival6 February 2031
- Animal and elementMetal Pig 金猪, Yin
- Year ends10 February 2032; the next new year is 11 February 2032
What the Pig year carries
The Pig
Generous, easy-going and sincere. The Pig closes the cycle with abundance; it is the sign of enjoying what has been earned.
A pig under a roof is the character 家, home: a household was counted complete when it kept one.
Metal 金
Metal years are associated with resolve and clarity: the edge of a blade, the ring of a bell. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
The pairing of stem and branch, 辛亥, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Pig year was 1971, the next is 2091.
The 2031 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2031 only.
| Day | Date in 2031 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 16 January 2031 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 22 January 2031, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 23 January 2031, Thursday | The Year of the Pig begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 24 January 2031 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 27 January 2031 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 6 February 2031, Thursday | 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 2031
2031 is a Metal Pig year, 辛亥, the 48th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1971 and comes again in 2091; the previous Pig year was 2019, the next is 2043. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 钗钏金.
New Year's Day falls on a Thursday; the reunion dinner is the Wednesday evening before. The festival lands on 23 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
辛亥 is the one stem-and-branch pair most Chinese people can name, because the revolution that ended two thousand years of imperial rule in October 1911 is called 辛亥革命 after its year. 2031 is exactly two sexagenary cycles later. The Pig closes the twelve-animal cycle, the sign of plenty and of a job finished.
A child born between 23 January 2031 and 10 February 2032 is a Metal Pig: Generous, easy-going and sincere. The Pig closes the cycle with abundance; it is the sign of enjoying what has been earned. A baby born in January 2031 before the new year is still a Dog.
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
- 20276 February 2027, Fire Goat
- 202826 January 2028, Earth Monkey
- 202913 February 2029, Earth Rooster
- 20303 February 2030, Metal Dog
- 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 2031?
Thursday, 23 January 2031. New Year's Eve is 22 January 2031, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 6 February 2031.
What animal is 2031 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Pig. From 23 January 2031 to 10 February 2032 it is the year of the Metal Pig (辛亥). Before 23 January 2031, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Dog.
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 Pig 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 Pig 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.