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Chinese New Year 2045
Friday, 17 February 2045. It opens the Year of the Wood Ox, 乙丑, which runs until 5 February 2046.
- New Year's Eve16 February 2045
- New Year's Day17 February 2045
- Lantern Festival3 March 2045
- Animal and elementWood Ox 木牛, Yin
- Year ends5 February 2046; the next new year is 6 February 2046
What the Ox year carries
The Ox
Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion.
The Ox would have won the river race, but carried the Rat across and came second without complaint.
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, 乙丑, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Ox year was 1985, the next is 2105.
The 2045 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2045 only.
| Day | Date in 2045 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 9 February 2045 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 16 February 2045, Thursday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 17 February 2045, Friday | The Year of the Ox begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 18 February 2045 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 21 February 2045 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 3 March 2045, Friday | 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 2045
2045 is a Wood Ox year, 乙丑, the 2th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1985 and comes again in 2105; the previous Ox year was 2033, the next is 2057. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 海中金.
New Year's Day falls on a Friday; the reunion dinner is the Thursday evening before. The festival lands on 17 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
A child born between 17 February 2045 and 5 February 2046 is a Wood Ox: Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion. A baby born in January 2045 before the new year is still a Rat.
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.
- 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
- 20466 February 2046, Fire Tiger
- 204726 January 2047, Fire Rabbit
- 204814 February 2048, Earth Dragon
- 20492 February 2049, Earth Snake
- 205023 January 2050, Metal Horse
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2045?
Friday, 17 February 2045. New Year's Eve is 16 February 2045, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 3 March 2045.
What animal is 2045 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Ox. From 17 February 2045 to 5 February 2046 it is the year of the Wood Ox (乙丑). Before 17 February 2045, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rat.
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 an Ox 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 Ox 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.