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Chinese New Year 2033
Monday, 31 January 2033. It opens the Year of the Water Ox, 癸丑, which runs until 18 February 2034.
- New Year's Eve30 January 2033
- New Year's Day31 January 2033
- Lantern Festival14 February 2033
- Animal and elementWater Ox 水牛, Yin
- Year ends18 February 2034; the next new year is 19 February 2034
What the Ox year carries
The Ox
Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion.
The Ox would have won the river race, but carried the Rat across and came second without complaint.
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, 癸丑, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Ox year was 1973, the next is 2093.
The 2033 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2033 only.
| Day | Date in 2033 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 23 January 2033 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 30 January 2033, Sunday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 31 January 2033, Monday | The Year of the Ox begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 1 February 2033 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 4 February 2033 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 14 February 2033, 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 2033
2033 is a Water Ox year, 癸丑, the 50th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1973 and comes again in 2093; the previous Ox year was 2021, the next is 2045. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 桑柘木.
New Year's Day falls on a Monday; the reunion dinner is the Sunday evening before. The festival lands on 31 January in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
The Ox is the cycle's farmer, and the old spring rite of whipping a clay ox (打春牛) to open the ploughing season belongs to its month. The previous 癸丑 year, 1973, was when the Mawangdui tombs at Changsha gave up their silk manuscripts, the best-preserved texts of the early Han dynasty; the Water Ox before that was 1913.
A child born between 31 January 2033 and 18 February 2034 is a Water Ox: Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion. A baby born in January 2033 before the new year is still a Rat.
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
- 203123 January 2031, Metal Pig
- 203211 February 2032, Water Rat
- 203419 February 2034, Wood Tiger
- 20358 February 2035, Wood Rabbit
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2033?
Monday, 31 January 2033. New Year's Eve is 30 January 2033, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 14 February 2033.
What animal is 2033 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Ox. From 31 January 2033 to 18 February 2034 it is the year of the Water Ox (癸丑). Before 31 January 2033, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rat.
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 an Ox 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 Ox 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.