Chinese New Year 2027: February 6, Year of the Fire Goat
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027. It begins the Year of the Fire Goat (丁未, Dīng Wèi), which runs until January 25, 2028. In South Korea, Seollal is one day later, on February 7.
Key dates for the 2027 Lunar New Year
| Date (2027) | Occasion | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan 15 | Laba Festival (腊八节): the traditional start of New Year preparations | 12th month, day 8 |
| Sat, Jan 30 | Little New Year (小年) in northern China; southern regions often mark it a day later | 12th month, day 23 |
| Thu, Feb 4 | Start of Spring (立春), 09:46 Beijing time: the year pillar changes in BaZi | 12th month, day 28 |
| Fri, Feb 5 | New Year's Eve (除夕): reunion dinner. The 12th month has 29 days this year | 12th month, day 29 |
| Sat, Feb 6 | Chinese New Year's Day (春节) | 1st month, day 1 |
| Sat, Feb 20 | Lantern Festival (元宵节): the end of the New Year season | 1st month, day 15 |
Dates are for the Chinese calendar, which is calculated for China Standard Time (UTC+8). Convert any other date with the lunar calendar converter.
Why Korean New Year 2027 is one day later
Each lunar month starts on the day of the new moon. In 2027 the new moon that begins the year happens at 15:56 UTC on February 6. That is 23:56 in Beijing, four minutes before midnight, so in China the new month, and the new year, starts on February 6.
Korea calculates its lunar calendar for Korea Standard Time (UTC+9). There the same new moon falls at 00:56 on February 7, so Seollal 2027 is on Sunday, February 7. Vietnam uses UTC+7, where the new moon is at 22:56 on February 6, so Tết 2027 matches China on February 6. Most Chinese communities abroad follow the Chinese date, wherever they live.
It is a good example of why calendar converters sometimes disagree: the answer depends on which time zone the calendar is calculated for.
The Year of the Fire Goat
Every Chinese year pairs one of ten Heavenly Stems with one of twelve Earthly Branches, in a cycle of 60 years. 2027 is 丁未 (Dīng Wèi): the stem 丁 is Yin Fire, pictured as a candle or lamp flame, and the branch 未 is the Goat, an Earth branch linked with late summer. The last Fire Goat year was 1967, and the next will be 2087.
The Chinese character 羊 covers goats, sheep and rams, so you will see "Year of the Goat", "Year of the Sheep" and "Year of the Ram" used for the same year. Traditionally the Goat is associated with gentleness, creativity and care for home and family.
For BaZi, the year 丁未 begins at the Start of Spring, on February 4, 2027 at 09:46 Beijing time, not at Chinese New Year. A baby born on February 4 or 5, 2027 (after that moment) is a Horse by the Chinese New Year convention used for zodiac signs, but has a Fire Goat year pillar in BaZi. The Chinese zodiac calculator shows both answers.
Years of the Goat
If you were born between these dates, your Chinese zodiac sign is the Goat. Born in January or February? Check the exact date, because the year changes at Chinese New Year.
| Goat year | Element | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Metal (辛未) | Feb 17, 1931 | Feb 5, 1932 |
| 1943 | Water (癸未) | Feb 5, 1943 | Jan 24, 1944 |
| 1955 | Wood (乙未) | Jan 24, 1955 | Feb 11, 1956 |
| 1967 | Fire (丁未) | Feb 9, 1967 | Jan 29, 1968 |
| 1979 | Earth (己未) | Jan 28, 1979 | Feb 15, 1980 |
| 1991 | Metal (辛未) | Feb 15, 1991 | Feb 3, 1992 |
| 2003 | Water (癸未) | Feb 1, 2003 | Jan 21, 2004 |
| 2015 | Wood (乙未) | Feb 19, 2015 | Feb 7, 2016 |
| 2027 | Fire (丁未) | Feb 6, 2027 | Jan 25, 2028 |
How the Goat year relates to each sign, traditionally
Chinese tradition describes how the branch of the year interacts with the branch of your birth year. These are traditional labels, often discussed around "Tai Sui" (太岁), the deity of the year. They describe customs and symbolism, not events.
| Your sign | Traditional relationship with 未 (Goat) |
|---|---|
| Goat | Your own year, Ben Ming Nian (本命年). By custom many people wear something red, often a red string or red socks, during their own year. |
| Horse | Six Harmony pair (午未合): traditionally the most harmonious pairing with the Goat. |
| Rabbit, Pig | Three Harmony group (亥卯未), the Wood trine: traditionally supportive. |
| Ox | Clash (丑未冲): the Ox sits opposite the Goat on the zodiac wheel, called "clashing with Tai Sui". The Ox and Goat also belong to the same Punishment set. |
| Dog | Punishment (丑戌未刑) and Break (戌未破): traditional labels for friction. |
| Rat | Harm (子未害): a traditional label for friction. |
| Tiger, Dragon, Snake, Monkey, Rooster | No special traditional relationship with the Goat branch. |
A year sign is one character out of eight in a BaZi chart. For the full picture, see your chart in the BaZi calculator, and for pairings between people, the compatibility chart.
How Chinese New Year is celebrated
- Before the new year: families clean the house to sweep out the old year, settle debts and put up red decorations such as spring couplets (春联) and the character 福 ("good fortune").
- New Year's Eve: the reunion dinner, often with fish (鱼, which sounds like "surplus") and, in northern China, dumplings. Many families stay up to see the new year in.
- The first days: visits to family and friends, red envelopes (红包) with money for children and unmarried relatives, and greetings such as 新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè, "Happy New Year") and 恭喜发财 (Gōngxǐ fācái, "wishing you prosperity").
- Lantern Festival: on the 15th day, lanterns, riddles and sweet rice balls (汤圆) close the New Year season.
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2027?
Saturday, February 6, 2027. New Year's Eve and the reunion dinner are on Friday, February 5, and the Lantern Festival that ends the season is on Saturday, February 20. In South Korea, Seollal falls on Sunday, February 7, because the Korean calendar is calculated for UTC+9.
What animal is 2027 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Goat, also translated as Sheep or Ram. With the Heavenly Stem 丁 (Yin Fire), 2027 is a Fire Goat year, 丁未 in Chinese. The previous Fire Goat year was 1967.
When does the Year of the Goat end?
The Fire Goat year runs from February 6, 2027 to January 25, 2028. The Year of the Earth Monkey begins on January 26, 2028.
What is the zodiac sign of a baby born in January 2027?
A baby born before February 6, 2027 belongs to the previous Chinese year, the Fire Horse (丙午). For BaZi the boundary is the Start of Spring instead, on February 4, 2027 at 09:46 Beijing time, so babies born on February 4 or 5 are Horses by the zodiac convention but have a Fire Goat year pillar.
Is 2027 my Ben Ming Nian?
If you were born in a Goat year (for example 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003 or 2015, checking the exact Chinese New Year dates), 2027 is your Ben Ming Nian, your own zodiac year. By custom many people wear something red during it.
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