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Chinese New Year 2042
Wednesday, 22 January 2042. It opens the Year of the Water Dog, 壬戌, which runs until 9 February 2043.
- New Year's Eve21 January 2042
- New Year's Day22 January 2042
- Lantern Festival5 February 2042
- Animal and elementWater Dog 水狗, Yang
- Year ends9 February 2043; the next new year is 10 February 2043
What the Dog year carries
The Dog
Loyal, fair and protective. The Dog keeps its word and its friends, and has a strong sense of what is right.
Dogs guard the home in both the real and the spirit world; stone and paper dogs stand at old gates.
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, 壬戌, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Dog year was 1982, the next is 2102.
The 2042 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2042 only.
| Day | Date in 2042 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 14 January 2042 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 21 January 2042, Tuesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 22 January 2042, Wednesday | The Year of the Dog begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 23 January 2042 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 26 January 2042 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 5 February 2042, Wednesday | 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 2042
2042 is a Water Dog year, 壬戌, the 59th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1982 and comes again in 2102; the previous Dog year was 2030, the next is 2054. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大海水.
New Year's Day falls on a Wednesday; the reunion dinner is the Tuesday evening before. The festival lands on 22 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
A child born between 22 January 2042 and 9 February 2043 is a Water Dog: Loyal, fair and protective. The Dog keeps its word and its friends, and has a strong sense of what is right. A baby born in January 2042 before the new year is still a Rooster.
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.
- 203628 January 2036, Fire Dragon
- 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
- 204310 February 2043, Water Pig
- 204430 January 2044, Wood Rat
- 204517 February 2045, Wood Ox
- 20466 February 2046, Fire Tiger
- 204726 January 2047, Fire Rabbit
- 204814 February 2048, Earth Dragon
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2042?
Wednesday, 22 January 2042. New Year's Eve is 21 January 2042, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 5 February 2042.
What animal is 2042 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dog. From 22 January 2042 to 9 February 2043 it is the year of the Water Dog (壬戌). Before 22 January 2042, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rooster.
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 Dog 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 Dog 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.