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Chinese New Year 2040
Sunday, 12 February 2040. It opens the Year of the Metal Monkey, 庚申, which runs until 31 January 2041.
- New Year's Eve11 February 2040
- New Year's Day12 February 2040
- Lantern Festival26 February 2040
- Animal and elementMetal Monkey 金猴, Yang
- Year ends31 January 2041; the next new year is 1 February 2041
What the Monkey year carries
The Monkey
Clever, playful and inventive. The Monkey solves problems sideways and keeps everyone laughing while it does.
Sun Wukong, the Monkey King of Journey to the West, is the most loved character in Chinese literature.
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, 庚申, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Monkey year was 1980, the next is 2100.
The 2040 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2040 only.
| Day | Date in 2040 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 5 February 2040 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 11 February 2040, Saturday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 12 February 2040, Sunday | The Year of the Monkey begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 13 February 2040 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 16 February 2040 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 26 February 2040, 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 2040
2040 is a Metal Monkey year, 庚申, the 57th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1980 and comes again in 2100; the previous Monkey year was 2028, the next is 2052. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 石榴木.
New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, so the reunion dinner on 11 February 2040 lands on a Saturday evening. The festival lands on 12 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
A child born between 12 February 2040 and 31 January 2041 is a Metal Monkey: Clever, playful and inventive. The Monkey solves problems sideways and keeps everyone laughing while it does. A baby born in January 2040 before the new year is still a Goat.
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.
- 203419 February 2034, Wood Tiger
- 20358 February 2035, Wood Rabbit
- 203628 January 2036, Fire Dragon
- 203715 February 2037, Fire Snake
- 20384 February 2038, Earth Horse
- 203924 January 2039, Earth Goat
- 20411 February 2041, Metal Rooster
- 204222 January 2042, Water Dog
- 204310 February 2043, Water Pig
- 204430 January 2044, Wood Rat
- 204517 February 2045, Wood Ox
- 20466 February 2046, Fire Tiger
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2040?
Sunday, 12 February 2040. New Year's Eve is 11 February 2040, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 26 February 2040.
What animal is 2040 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Monkey. From 12 February 2040 to 31 January 2041 it is the year of the Metal Monkey (庚申). Before 12 February 2040, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Goat.
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 Monkey 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 Monkey 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.