Months that follow the moon
Every month starts on the day of the new moon, counted in Beijing time (UTC+8), and lasts 29 or 30 days. Twelve such months make only about 354 days, 11 short of a solar year.
Leap months
To stop the calendar drifting through the seasons, an extra leap month is added about seven times every 19 years. The rule is astronomical: the sun's yearly path is divided into twelve "principal terms", and a month in which the sun does not reach a new one becomes a leap month, repeating the number of the month before it. Between 1950 and 2100 there are 55 leap months; the next is a leap 5th month, starting on 23 June 2028.
When is Chinese New Year?
New Year is the first day of the first month. From 1901 to 2100 it always falls between 21 January and 20 February. A handy rule of thumb is that it is the second new moon after the winter solstice — and that rule works for every year from 1950 to 2100 except 2034, when an unusual leap 11th month in late 2033 pushes New Year a month later.
| Year | New Year | Zodiac |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17 February | Fire Horse |
| 2027 | 6 February | Fire Goat |
| 2028 | 26 January | Earth Monkey |
| 2029 | 13 February | Earth Rooster |
| 2030 | 3 February | Metal Dog |
| 2031 | 23 January | Metal Pig |
Animals and elements
Each year has one of twelve animals, in a fixed order — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig — and one of five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water), each of which lasts two years. Together they make a cycle of 60 years, traditionally written with ten "heavenly stems" and twelve "earthly branches". The animal changes at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January, so someone born in January or early February may belong to the year before.