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The start of Chinese New Year changes every year since it is dictated by the lunar calendar. The Gregorian or solar calendar – which is based on the Earth’s movement around the sun and has a fixed number of 365 days a year (366 during a leap year) – is the most widely used calendar system in the world and has been the official calendar used in China since 1912.
But in China the lunar calendar is still used to determine traditional holidays like Chinese New Year. Since the lunar calendar is based on the phases of the moon – which has a shorter cycle than the sun – Chinese New Year is never on the same day each year, but typically falls somewhere between January 21st and February 20th.
When is Chinese New Year?
- Rat: February 19, 1996 | February 7, 2008 | January 25, 2020
- Ox: February 7, 1997 | January 26, 2009 | February 12, 2021
- Tiger: January 28, 1998 | February 14, 2010 | February 1, 2022
- Rabbit: February 16, 1999 | February 3, 2011 | January 22, 2023
- Dragon: February 5, 2000 | January 23, 2012 | February 10, 2024
- Snake: January 24, 2001 | February 10, 2013 | January 29, 2025
- Horse: February 12, 2002 | January 31, 2014 | February 17, 2026
- Goat: February 1, 2003 | February 19, 2015 | February 7, 2027
- Monkey: January 22, 2004 | February 8, 2016 | January 27, 2028
- Rooster: February 9, 2005 | January 28, 2017 | February 13, 2029
- Dog: January 29, 2006 | February 16, 2018 | February 3, 2030
- Pig: February 18, 2007 | February 5, 2019 | January 23, 2031
