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Chinese New Year 2038
Thursday, 4 February 2038. It opens the Year of the Earth Horse, 戊午, which runs until 23 January 2039.
- New Year's Eve3 February 2038
- New Year's Day4 February 2038
- Lantern Festival18 February 2038
- Animal and elementEarth Horse 土马, Yang
- Year ends23 January 2039; the next new year is 24 January 2039
What the Horse year carries
The Horse
Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion.
马到成功, "success as soon as the horse arrives", is the wish written on Horse-year greetings.
Earth 土
Earth years are associated with steadiness and care: harvest, soil, the centre. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
The pairing of stem and branch, 戊午, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Horse year was 1978, the next is 2098.
The 2038 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2038 only.
| Day | Date in 2038 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 27 January 2038 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 3 February 2038, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 4 February 2038, Thursday | The Year of the Horse begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 5 February 2038 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 8 February 2038 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 18 February 2038, 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 2038
2038 is an Earth Horse year, 戊午, the 55th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1978 and comes again in 2098; the previous Horse year was 2026, the next is 2050. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 天上火.
New Year's Day falls on a Thursday; the reunion dinner is the Wednesday evening before. The festival lands on 4 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
A child born between 4 February 2038 and 23 January 2039 is an Earth Horse: Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion. A baby born in January 2038 before the new year is still a Snake.
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.
- 203211 February 2032, Water Rat
- 203331 January 2033, Water Ox
- 203419 February 2034, Wood Tiger
- 20358 February 2035, Wood Rabbit
- 203628 January 2036, Fire Dragon
- 203715 February 2037, Fire Snake
- 203924 January 2039, Earth Goat
- 204012 February 2040, Metal Monkey
- 20411 February 2041, Metal Rooster
- 204222 January 2042, Water Dog
- 204310 February 2043, Water Pig
- 204430 January 2044, Wood Rat
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2038?
Thursday, 4 February 2038. New Year's Eve is 3 February 2038, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 18 February 2038.
What animal is 2038 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Horse. From 4 February 2038 to 23 January 2039 it is the year of the Earth Horse (戊午). Before 4 February 2038, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Snake.
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 Horse 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 Horse 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.