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Chinese New Year 2049
Tuesday, 2 February 2049. It opens the Year of the Earth Snake, 己巳, which runs until 22 January 2050.
- New Year's Eve1 February 2049
- New Year's Day2 February 2049
- Lantern Festival16 February 2049
- Animal and elementEarth Snake 土蛇, Yin
- Year ends22 January 2050; the next new year is 23 January 2050
What the Snake year carries
The Snake
Thoughtful, elegant and private. The Snake is called the little dragon; it is the sign of wisdom that watches before it speaks.
The White Snake of West Lake, who took human form for love, is one of China's four great folk tales.
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, 己巳, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Snake year was 1989, the next is 2109.
The 2049 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 2049 only.
| Day | Date in 2049 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 26 January 2049 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 1 February 2049, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 2 February 2049, Tuesday | The Year of the Snake begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 3 February 2049 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 6 February 2049 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 16 February 2049, Tuesday | 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 2049
2049 is an Earth Snake year, 己巳, the 6th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1989 and comes again in 2109; the previous Snake year was 2037, the next is 2061. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大林木.
New Year's Day falls on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner is the Monday evening before. The festival lands on 2 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
A child born between 2 February 2049 and 22 January 2050 is an Earth Snake: Thoughtful, elegant and private. The Snake is called the little dragon; it is the sign of wisdom that watches before it speaks. A baby born in January 2049 before the new year is still a Dragon.
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 2049?
Tuesday, 2 February 2049. New Year's Eve is 1 February 2049, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 16 February 2049.
What animal is 2049 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Snake. From 2 February 2049 to 22 January 2050 it is the year of the Earth Snake (己巳). Before 2 February 2049, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Dragon.
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 Snake 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 Snake 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.