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Chinese New Year 2036
Monday, 28 January 2036. It opens the Year of the Fire Dragon, 丙辰, which runs until 14 February 2037.
- New Year's Eve27 January 2036
- New Year's Day28 January 2036
- Lantern Festival11 February 2036
- Animal and elementFire Dragon 火龙, Yang
- Year ends14 February 2037; the next new year is 15 February 2037
What the Dragon year carries
The Dragon
Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem.
Dragon years see a rise in births across the Chinese-speaking world: parents plan for them.
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, 丙辰, returns once every sixty years; the last Fire Dragon year was 1976, the next is 2096.
The 2036 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2036 only.
| Day | Date in 2036 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 20 January 2036 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 27 January 2036, Sunday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 28 January 2036, Monday | The Year of the Dragon begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 29 January 2036 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 1 February 2036 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 11 February 2036, 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 2036
2036 is a Fire Dragon year, 丙辰, the 53th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1976 and comes again in 2096; the previous Dragon year was 2024, the next is 2048. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 沙中土.
New Year's Day falls on a Monday; the reunion dinner is the Sunday evening before. The festival lands on 28 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
A child born between 28 January 2036 and 14 February 2037 is a Fire Dragon: Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem. A baby born in January 2036 before the new year is still a Rabbit.
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.
- 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
- 203715 February 2037, Fire Snake
- 20384 February 2038, Earth Horse
- 203924 January 2039, Earth Goat
- 204012 February 2040, Metal Monkey
- 20411 February 2041, Metal Rooster
- 204222 January 2042, Water Dog
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2036?
Monday, 28 January 2036. New Year's Eve is 27 January 2036, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 11 February 2036.
What animal is 2036 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dragon. From 28 January 2036 to 14 February 2037 it is the year of the Fire Dragon (丙辰). Before 28 January 2036, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rabbit.
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 Dragon 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 Dragon 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.