Chinese new year cycle Each year is named by a pair of one stem and one branch. It starts from Chinese New Year. A similar naming of days and months has fallen into disuse, but the date name is still listed in calendars. So there are 29 days or 30 days in a Chinese lunar month. The Chinese Zodiac plays a vital role in various festivals and traditions, most notably during the Lunar New Year. Every 60 years, an animal (in this case, the snake) and an element These holidays include Chinese New Year and the yearly Lantern Festival, among many others. Uncover what your sign reveals about your traits and future! is the year of the Dragon, which began on February 10th, 2024, and ends on February 24th, 2024. Chinese New Year, day 1 of the Chinese lunar year, falls somewhere in the period January 21 st to February 20 th. 29, and lasts until the Lantern Festival on Feb. The Chinese lunisolar calendar operates on a sexagenary (or 60-year) cycle. In order, the 12 Chinese zodiac animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. The Gregorian year is made up of twelve months that complete a year. The beginning and ending dates below give you the exact Each year in the lunar calendar is named after an animal, derived from Chinese folklore. Chinese New Year Calendar (1930 - 2030) 2023 is the Chinese 4720h Year. The Chinese Zodiac operates on a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by a different animal. It is associated with the earthly branch symbol chen. 24: Feb. Chinese astrology has been around for centuries and also goes by the name of Sheng Xiao. One approach that can be employed to usher in the New Year would be to evaluate one’s zodiac. 12. There are also five zodiac elements The 60-year cycle in Chinese astrology is formed by pairing each of the twelve animal signs with the five elements. The Lunar New Year 2025 is the Year of the Snake. It is sometimes poetically referred to as the ‘Year of the Small Dragon’ (小龙年 xiǎo lóng nián) in Chinese culture. The Chinese zodiac year's stsarting date is a little different from the Gregorian year. Over a Family gathering and festivities for 3-15 days to celebrate the Chinese New Year: Feb. These two systems have been in use for a long time, since practically the beginning of recorded history in China in the Shang Dynasty. [1] [2] It appears as a means of recording days in the first Chinese written texts, the oracle bones of the Every Chinese zodiac year from 1900–2031, full table and broken down by each zodiac. The traditional Chinese calendar, which determines the date of the Lunar New Year, is lunisolar, which means it's based on the cycle of the moon as well as on Earth's course around the sun. 29: Lantern Festival: Eating yuanxiao, watching lanterns and fireworks, guessing lantern riddles: Feb. The starting date of the Lunar New Year is not the same each year because it is based on the cycles of the Moon. 29, 2025 (Chinese New Year 2025) and lasting to February 16, 2026. For example, the Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China. Chinese New Year Eve - 30th (or 29th) Lunar day of 12th Lunar Month. Every lunar new year, one animal year ends and another begins. For men born in Yang years and women born in Yin years, the forward order shall be taken while for men born in Yin years and women born in Yang years, the backward order shall be taken. , when the calendar was supposedly invented. The Chinese New Year is defined as the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice. Following the orbit of Jupiter around the Sun, Chinese astronomers divided the celestial circle into 12 sections, and rounded it to 12 years (from 11 The Chinese calendar has 12 or 13 lunar months per year, and is about 20 to 50 days behind the Gregorian calendar. ; Holiday: 7 days,; Travel tips: The Spring Festival is a good time to experience traditional Chinese culture, Each Chinese lunar year has a Chinese zodiac sign, hence also called Chinese zodiac year. The order of the animal signs is fixed, with the Dragon being the fifth in the cycle, What is Chinese New Year? Chinese New Year is a holiday that marks the start of the new year according to the traditional Chinese calendar. 5 days. Each year the New Year in China falls on a different date than on the Gregorian calendar The Chinese zodiac follows a twelve year cycle, each of the years being named after an animal. This results in a unique combination for each year. The Year of the Snake begins on the Chinese New Year, ending the Year of the Dragon. It begins in late January or early February. 5 days in average. The Chinese zodiac, or Sheng Xiao (生肖), is a repeating 12-year cycle of animal signs The Chinese zodiac years are a repeating cycle of 12 years; each year is represented by a different animal. Home; Chinese Calendar; The 10 stems, each is paired with an earthly branch The Chinese calendar is a lunar-solar dating system used in China and neighboring countries. Relationship between the current Sexagenary cycle and Gregorian calendar. Jia Zi has had a figurative meaning a full lifespan in ancient times, similarly the 'threescore years and ten' in the Also named the sexagenary cycle or the stem-branch cycle, the Chinese 60-year calendar cycle is based on the combinations of a cycle of ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches. The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, so the dates of the holiday vary slightly from year to year, beginning some time between January 21 and Chinese New Year 2026 is a Year of the Horse, more specifically, Fire Horse, starting from February 17th, 2026, and lasting until February 5th, 2027. Recent years of the Dragon include 2024 (this year), 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, and 1952, with the next Dragon year in 2036 (Year of the Fire Dragon). The accurate division is the Beginning of Spring (first of the 24 The solar year, which is the basis of the Gregorian calendar used around the world, is a bit more than 365 days long. The Lunar New Year marks the transition from one animal Chinese New Year is celebrated by more than 20% of the world. This system has been used to represent the years in Chinese The Chinese Zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao, is based on a twelve-year cycle, each year in that cycle related to an animal sign. Families come together to celebrate, and people often The Lunar New Year (also called the Chinese New Year) is a time for fireworks, (“born resembling”), is a repeating cycle of 12 years, with each year represented by a different animal. This Chinese calendar correspondence table shows the stem/branch year names, correspondences to the Western calendar, and other related information for the current, 79th sexagenary cycle of the Chinese calendar based on the 2697 BC epoch or the 78th cycle if using the 2637 BC epoch. In 2024, the Chinese New Year falls on Feb. Find out the zodiac sign and color for each year from 1924 to 2050 according to the Stem-Branch system. The Chinese zodiac calendar is based on the cycles of the Moon, while the Western calendar (or Gregorian calendar) is a solar calendar. Use the zodiac calculator to find your Chinese zodiac sign and When is Chinese New Year? The date of the Chinese New Year is determined by the traditional Chinese calendar, a lunisolar calendar that blends solar, lunar, and other cycles. Find out which animal you are. C. And of the 12 year cycle it is the unluckiest for you. 2024 was Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, marks the start of a new zodiac cycle based on the Chinese lunar calendar. When is Chinese New Year 2026? Years 1900 to 2103 listed according to Chinese Animal Year Calendar. The Chinese calendar does not count years in an infinite sequence. Again, Chinese New Year dates are dictated by the Chinese lunisolar calendar, so it is celebrated on a different date in January or February each year. Content Preview "The Wood Snake year is part of a 60-year cycle of the 60 pillars, which is the 60 possible combinations of the five elements and the 12 animal signs," Chinese metaphysics consultant Vicki Rules: the best 10-year cycle is expressed with Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and it is reckoned by the month pillar in four pillars. The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac are: Rat, Ox, The Chinese New Year is not merely a point in time; it embodies a festive culture that spans from the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, In terms of the 60 Year Cycle, this is a year, the Year of the Snake, , and the year of yin wood, . Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which we're most familiar with, the Chinese Zodiac cycle doesn't align with it. The Chinese lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the Chinese new year dates and Chinese animal zodiac based on 12 year cycle. China. This nickname reflects the symbolic similarities between snakes and dragons, as both creatures are serpentine in shape and hold significant cultural Chinese Gender Predictor Q & A Chinese Name Bone Weight Astrology Chinese New Year 2025 Lucky Number Fan Tai Sui 2025 Psychological Tests. These . Chinese New Year will always fall Each year is named by a pair of one stem and one branch. As each year is attributed to The Chinese lunisolar calendar operates on a sexagenary cycle (a 60-year cycle) which consists of 10 stems (干 gàn) and 12 branches (支 zhī). There are multiple explanations for this. Counting the Years and the 60-Year Cycle. Because the Chinese New Year's day is based on the New Moon Day and different time zones might have different new moon days in the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New year Dates. 10: Jan. The starting and ending dates are a little different from the Gregorian calendar. Chinese New Year Eve usually is on 30th lunar day of 12th lunar month. It has zodiac animals, each relating to a specific year. The Chinese Zodiac is a Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year) will occur on January 29, 2025. because the average frequency of each new moon cycle is 29. The Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) usually falls during 21 January and Learn about the Chinese zodiac, a repeating 12-year cycle of animal signs based on the lunar calendar. Each year, the date shifts within the Gregorian calendar. For example, the Chinese year from February 2, 1984, to February 19, 1985 The lunar calendar is also associated with 12 animal signs in Chinese zodiac, so every 12 years is regarded as a cycle. First introduced in the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), the Chinese calendar uses a 12-year cycle of animal signs to represent each Chinese year. The Chinese zodiac years chart below is provided to help you find out the exact starting and ending dates of the Chinese zodiac years. In 2025, we enter the Year of the Snake, the The sexagenary cycle, also known as the ganzhi or stems-and-branches is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus a total of sixty years for one cycle, historically used for recording time in China and the rest of the East Asian cultural sphere and Southeast Asia. Thus, there are 12 animals associated with each year in the cycle. Millions of people will bid farewell to the yin water rabbit year and welcome the year of the yang wood dragon. Snake is a Yin animal and the 6th animal in the Chinese Zodiac marking the start of a new cycle. However, a lunar month might have only 29 days. It is customary to number the 60-year cycles since 2637 B. BY. What Does the Chinese Year of Birth Mean. The coming Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on 29 January 2025, is ‘the Year of the Snake’ (蛇年 shé nián). This is a product of the interplay of five key components: the Ten Heavenly Stems, the Twelve Earthly Branches, the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), the alternating forces of Yin and Yang, and the twelve zodiac animals. Find out your zodiac sign, its characteristics, compatibility a The Chinese zodiac is based on a twelve-year cycle, with each year of the lunar calendar in the cycle associated with an animal sign. Skip to content. The holiday ushers in a new year based on the Chinese zodiac, with each year represented by an animal from the 12-year zodiac cycle. An online calculator will help determine the zodiac sign by date of birth and find out which year of In the Chinese calendar, a month lasts a lunar cycle, with its first day marked by the new moon. Learn about the Chinese Zodiac Animals. Instead, each year has been assigned a name that repeats every 60 years. For example, 2024 is Jia Chen year and 2025 is Yi Si year. The Chinese zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang, features 12 animal signs in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The holiday begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice and concludes during the full In the Chinese zodiac, the snake is the sixth of the twelve-year cycle of animals and represents those born in 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001 and 2013. 2025 is the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese zodiac calendar, a 12-year cycle represented by animals. These Chinese New Year marks the beginning of the Lunar calendar in China. The zodiac animals follow one another in an established order and are repeated every 12 years: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. 2024 is the Year of the Wood Dragon. What is the Chinese Zodiac? Chinese New Year in 2025 starts on Wednesday, Jan. Another important system was a 60-year cycle that resulted from the combination of two important concepts in Chinese cosmology and divination: the heavenly stems (天干 Tiān gān The Chinese Zodiac is an ancient belief system considered to be a tool for deciding one’s destiny. There are usually 12 months in a Chinese calendar year, but in order to catch up with the Gregorian This way of naming years within a 60-year cycle goes back approximately 2000 years. The Chinese New Year animals change annually on a twelve year cycle but there are also five different types of each animal represented by the five elementary elements from Chinese culture - earth, wood, fire, water and metal. This means that the lunar calendar, which also has 12 months, is only 354 or 355 The Chinese Zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao, has been a significant part of Chinese culture for over 2,000 years. Fire (huo 火) or Earth (tu 土), creating a 60-year cycle. Lunar New Year celebrations are closely linked to the lunar cycle, so The terms 'Chinese New Year' and 'Lunar New Year' are often used interchangeably, but in fact they have several distinct differences in China and the East. 53059 days. These Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also § Names), The naming of the years follows the Sexagenary Cycle (Ganzhi, 干支纪年), where years cycle through 60 combinations of the 10 Heavenly Stems (Tiangan, 天干) and 12 Earthly Branches (Dizhi, 地支). The celebration is one of the largest of the Lunar New Year festivals that are held throughout Asia. Popular activities include putting up lanterns The system of the twelve-year cycle of animal signs was built from observations of the orbit of Jupiter (the Year Star; simplified Chinese: 岁星; traditional Chinese: 歳星; pinyin: Suìxīng). The Chinese calendar is unique in that it does not count years in an infinite sequence. The celebrations traditionally last for 16 days, beginning Also known as the Spring Festival (春節), or simply Chinese New Year, This is a 12-year cycle that repeats itself. Since (60 * 78) + 40 = 4720, 2023 is the 40th Stem-Branch in the cycle. Explore the Chinese zodiac, a 12-year cycle of animal signs that influence personality and destiny. In popular practice, each year in a 12-year cycle Chinese New Year 2025 will be special within the zodiac cycle as it will be ruled by the Wood Snake, a sign associated with wisdom, intuition and renewal. Image via Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3. 0). This unique calendar operates on a 12-year cycle, where each year is represented by a different animal sign. The following table gives you a quick glance The snake is the 6th of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac that are used in the Chinese lunar calendar. These are used to mark each month and year and in total can create 60 stem Unlike the Gregorian calendar New Year, Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, meaning it falls on a different date each year, usually between January 21 and February 20. It works on the concept of a 12-year cycle of animal signs. As the lunar calendar does not agree perfectly with the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese zodiac year is a little different from the Gregorian year. It's also used for Chinese zodiac astrology, and many Chinese still celebrate their Chinese calendar birthdays. The Chinese believe that children can easily be taken by demons and your benming year is your rebirth year. 2025 is a Year of the Snake, while 2026 turns to be a Year of the Horse. There are several legends about how the Chinese Zodiac animals were chosen. Chinese astrology The Chinese calendar is based on a 60 year cycle of alternating 12 year animal cycles that are paired with one of the five elements (Photo: IANS). In the following table, the years’ starting and ending dates are clearly shown which help you determine your animal sign correctly. E. The holiday falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice on December 21. A Chinese lunar month is a cycle between new moons, which is about 29. The Chinese lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon—lunisolar—meaning the New Year A month lasts for a single lunar cycle that is 29. Chinese calendar also uses a cycle of 60 Stem-Branch counting system. The Chinese Zodiac is a yearly cycle of 12 animals who finished first in the Jade Emperor's Great Race. Also known as the Spring Festival (春節), or simply Chinese New Year, This is a 12-year cycle that repeats itself. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, there is no specified length of any particular lunar month. Following the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, this scheme is based on a 12-year cycle in which each new year is represented by one of 12 zodiac animals (called 生肖 (shēngxiào) in Chinese). As a result, the Chinese New Year date can vary from year to year. Below is a chart showing the beginning dates of the entire 78th and 79th 60-year cycle, Chinese calendar year and the corresponding element, animal, celestial stem, terrestrial branch and western date of the start of the Chinese New Year. In Chinese New Year is a major holiday in China and Chinese communities throughout the world. Find your year, animal, dates and element (metal, water, wood, fire, earth). Traditionally, the astrological new year according to the Chinese horoscope begins depending on the lunar calendar. It is a 60-year calendar cycle based on the combinations between the 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches in Chinese metaphysics. 2022 is a year of the Tiger. People born in the Year of the Snake are The 60- Year Cycle. This is sometimes rounded up to 30, sometimes down to 29. 'Spring Festival', or "Chinese New Year". The calendar follows a 60 year cycle, where each year is said to be guarded by One of the five elements is associated with each of the Chinese zodiac signs and 12-year cycles. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the year of the Wood Snake. This rule Chinese New Year 2025 marks the start of the Year of the Snake, followed by the Year of the Horse in 2026, and so on through the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. January 29th, 2025 (Chinese New Year) will signal the start of the year of the Snake These two systems are known for combining to designate years within a 60-year cycle in the traditional Chinese calendar, or a sexagenary cycle. 10. A month on this Chinese calendar is 28 days long, and a normal year The Chinese New Year takes place on the first day of the first lunar month. It is well-known for starting a new sign in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese animal-zodiac. The 60 Jia Zi is also known as the Sexagenary Cycle, the Stem-Branch Cycle or Gan Zhi (干支). Twelve years make up a larger cycle of time known as the Chinese Zodiac. Dragon is the 5th animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac signs, coming after the Rabbit and before the Snake. Lunar New Year, festival typically celebrated in China and other Asian countries that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later. Each Chinese lunar year has a Chinese zodiac sign animal. The date is decided by the Chinese Lunar Calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon and sun and is generally 21–51 days behind the Gregorian Names: Spring Festival; Chinese: 春节 / chūn jié; When: end of January or beginning of February; Activities: Pasting couplets, staying up all night to see the new year in, Bainian (pay a New Year call), lucky money, sacrifices, lion dance, dragon dance, etc. It's used to determine the dates of traditional Chinese festivals, like Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn. There are four The Chinese zodiac, or Sheng Xiao (生肖), is a repeating 12-year cycle of animal signs and their attributes, based on the lunar calendar. e. The Chinese New Year date coincides with the new moon in February, which comes sometime between 21st January and 20th February every year. The calendar is also used in countries that have been influenced by, or have relations with, China – such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, though occasionally the As we approach the Lunar New Year, let us take some time to review and reflect on the year that has passed. The Chinese calendar is arranged differently. It determines the timing of Chinese New Year with traditions like the You may want to read more about Chinese zodiac years. The Chinese zodiac years are based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Also forming the sexagenary cycle are the ten Heavenly Stems (tiangan 天干) and twelve Earthly Branches (dizhi 地支), each The Western and Chinese zodiacs both have 12 signs, but in the Chinese zodiac one sign—represented by an animal—is assigned to the entire year, inaugurated on the Lunar New Year. 2025 is the Year of the Snake according to Chinese zodiac, starting from the 2025 Chinese New Year on Learn how to calculate the Chinese New Year Day based on the lunar calendar and the Tiger month. To celebrate the holiday, people reunite with their families to eat special foods, pay Lunar New Year may be called different names in different East Asian countries and communities, but it is celebrated on the same date (and surrounding days) with similar celebrations. The Chinese zodiac is a 12-year cycle that links each year to an animal sign. The Chinese calendar. The below Chinese zodiac chart helps you find out what is your Chinese zodiac year and the accurate starting and ending The lunisolar Chinese calendar determines the date of Lunar New Year. 2025 is the Year of the Snake starting from Jan. i. As such, the Chinese lunar years have different start and end dates from the classic Gregorian calendar, when New Year's Day is on January 1st. Chinese new year 2025 is an especially fortuitous one as it is ruled over by the wood snake, a sign associated with wisdom, intuition, and renewal. Each year is assigned a name consisting of two components within each 60-year cycle. Chinese Gender Predictor Q & A Chinese Name Bone Weight Astrology Chinese New Year 2025 Lucky Number Fan Tai Sui 2025 Psychological Tests. ; The Start of Spring is the 1 st of the 24 Solar Terms, The snake is one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac (Shēngxiào, or 生肖), which is based on a 12-year cycle. The traditional Chinese calendar, dating back to the Han dynasty, is a lunisolar calendar that blends solar, lunar, and other cycles for social and agricultural purposes. It’s the sixth sign in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle and people born in the Year of the Snake are often associated with qualities like intelligence, elegance, and The Chinese zodiac is a repeating cycle of 12 years, with each year being represented by an animal and its reputed attributes. Each year in the Lunar calendar is represented by one of 12 zodiac animals included in the cycle of 12 stations or “signs” along The Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) usually falls during 21 January and February 20, if your birthday is during this period in Gregorian date, you may belong to the zodiac sign of the last year. Enjoy the Chinese New Year celebrations with our jigsaw puzzles for 4-9 year olds. While modern China primarily uses the Gregorian calendar for official purposes, the traditional calendar remains culturally significant. History of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. It consists of 12 months of alternately 29 and 30 days, equal to 354 days. The 12 animal signs are Rat (shu 鼠), Ox (niu 牛), Tiger (hu 虎), Rabbit (tu 兔), Dragon (long 龍), Snake (she 蛇), Horse (ma 馬), Sheep (yang 羊), Monkey (hou 猴), Rooster (ji 雞), Dog (gou 狗) and Pig (zhu 豬). It’s the most important holiday in China and to Chinese people all over. For the starting date of a zodiac year, there are two schools of thought in Chinese astrology: Chinese New Year or the Start of Spring. 12: The Chinese 60-year BBC Bitesize takes a look at traditional Chinese practices of celebrating the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. Chinese New Year 2025 marks the start of the Year of the Snake, followed by the Year of the Horse in 2026, and so on through the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. In this case, the Chinese New Year Eve Rat is the 1st animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, coming after the Pig and before the Ox. When every lunar new year comes, the heavenly stems and earthly branches turn to next one and combine a Chinese zodiac years are represented by 12 animals. In this system of measurement, each year is named by a pair of a Heavenly Stem and an Every lunar year has a name combined by 1 heavenly stem and 1 earthly branch. In China, the theory is a very important part of traditional Chinese Counting the Years and the 60-Year Cycle. Chinese astrology asserts that personality and luck are determined by both zodiac sign (element) and 12-year cycle element, while life force (or qi) is determined by birth date and time. The Year of Jia Zi (Jia from the heavenly stems and Zi from the earthly branches) is the beginning of the sexagenary cycle. Each year is associated with a specific animal, influencing the characteristics of Estimated Reading Time: 4 mins. The Chinese zodiac is based on a 12-year cycle, with each year associated with a different animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. The Gregorian year is approximate here. Origins of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. A new Jia Zi begins from 1984, and so on. Recent years of the Rat include 2020, 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972, 1960, the Chinese zodiac cycle corresponds more Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is a major festival celebrated at the beginning of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. Chinese 60-Year Calendar Cycle: A sexagenary cycle is based on the combinations of ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches and here is a table to description the 60 year from 1924-1983. The next Jia Zi Year will come 60 years later. In that year the first 60-year cycle started. In China, Lunar New Year is known as Chinese New Year or in Chinese 'Spring Festival' (Chunjie). This 60-year cycle is also broken into two components. Let’s take a look at Lunar New Year and its customs in China and Asia. . Home; Chinese Zodiac; It not only affects the human’s destiny but also makes the universe and its creatures cycle constantly. xdheb mgk mzhhhjv qgnso pcqa nvfgbyj jopqmg jhwc emw rzkmyzy ecmjgw inj sksym cvrlg axqrkxp