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Chinese New Year 2048
Friday, 14 February 2048. It opens the Year of the Earth Dragon, 戊辰, which runs until 1 February 2049.
- New Year's Eve13 February 2048
- New Year's Day14 February 2048
- Lantern Festival28 February 2048
- Animal and elementEarth Dragon 土龙, Yang
- Year ends1 February 2049; the next new year is 2 February 2049
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.
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, 戊辰, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Dragon year was 1988, the next is 2108.
The 2048 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2048 only.
| Day | Date in 2048 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 6 February 2048 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 13 February 2048, Thursday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 14 February 2048, Friday | The Year of the Dragon begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 15 February 2048 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 18 February 2048 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 28 February 2048, 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 2048
2048 is an Earth Dragon year, 戊辰, the 5th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1988 and comes again in 2108; the previous Dragon year was 2036, the next is 2060. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大林木.
New Year's Day falls on a Friday; the reunion dinner is the Thursday evening before. The festival lands on 14 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
A child born between 14 February 2048 and 1 February 2049 is an Earth 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 2048 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.
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2048?
Friday, 14 February 2048. New Year's Eve is 13 February 2048, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 28 February 2048.
What animal is 2048 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dragon. From 14 February 2048 to 1 February 2049 it is the year of the Earth Dragon (戊辰). Before 14 February 2048, 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.