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Chinese New Year 2034
Sunday, 19 February 2034. It opens the Year of the Wood Tiger, 甲寅, which runs until 7 February 2035.
- New Year's Eve18 February 2034
- New Year's Day19 February 2034
- Lantern Festival5 March 2034
- Animal and elementWood Tiger 木虎, Yang
- Year ends7 February 2035; the next new year is 8 February 2035
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.
Wood 木
Wood years are associated with growth and flexibility: spring, bamboo, new shoots. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
The pairing of stem and branch, 甲寅, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Tiger year was 1974, the next is 2094.
The 2034 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2034 only.
| Day | Date in 2034 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 11 February 2034 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 18 February 2034, Saturday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 19 February 2034, Sunday | The Year of the Tiger begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 20 February 2034 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 23 February 2034 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 5 March 2034, Sunday | 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 2034
2034 is a Wood Tiger year, 甲寅, the 51th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1974 and comes again in 2094; the previous Tiger year was 2022, the next is 2046. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大溪水.
New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, so the reunion dinner on 18 February 2034 lands on a Saturday evening. The festival lands on 19 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
甲 is the first of the ten stems, so 甲寅 is a beginning within a beginning: a Wood Tiger, the sign of courage in its growing form. In the previous 甲寅 year, 1974, farmers digging a well near Xi'an found the Terracotta Army, buried with the First Emperor for twenty-two centuries; 1914 was the Wood Tiger before it.
A child born between 19 February 2034 and 7 February 2035 is a Wood 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. A baby born in January 2034 before the new year is still an Ox.
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
- 203331 January 2033, Water Ox
- 20358 February 2035, Wood Rabbit
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2034?
Sunday, 19 February 2034. New Year's Eve is 18 February 2034, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 5 March 2034.
What animal is 2034 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Tiger. From 19 February 2034 to 7 February 2035 it is the year of the Wood Tiger (甲寅). Before 19 February 2034, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Ox.
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.