Chinese New Year 2027: Year of the Fire Goat
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, 6 February 2027. It opens the year of the Fire Goat — 丁未 (Ding Wei) in the sixty-year cycle, the Yin Fire Goat (also written Sheep or Ram). The last Fire Goat year was 1967; the next is 2087.
The lunar year runs from 6 February 2027 to 25 January 2028 and has no leap month. Celebrations run fifteen days, from New Year's Eve dinner on 5 February 2027 to the Lantern Festival on 20 February 2027.
One date matters more than it looks: Lichun (立春, "Start of Spring"), 4 Feb 2027, 09:46 (Beijing time, UTC+8). Chinese astrology — the zodiac year, Tai Sui and Feng Shui charts — changes at Lichun, not at New Year. In 2027 Lichun comes 2 day(s) before New Year, so anyone born between the two dates is a Goat by the almanac but a Horse by the lunar calendar.
Key dates of the 2027 lunar year
| Event | Chinese | Lunar date | Gregorian date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laba Festival | 腊八 | 12/8 of the previous lunar year | 2027-01-15 | Friday |
| Little New Year (northern) | 小年 | 12/23 | 2027-01-30 | Saturday |
| New Year's Eve | 除夕 | last day of month 12 | 2027-02-05 | Friday |
| Chinese New Year | 春节 / 正月初一 | 1/1 | 2027-02-06 | Saturday |
| Lichun (solar new year) | 立春 | solar term | 2027-02-04 | Thursday |
| Lantern Festival | 元宵 | 1/15 | 2027-02-20 | Saturday |
| Dragon Boat Festival | 端午节 | 5/5 | 2027-06-09 | Wednesday |
| Qixi (Double Seventh) | 七夕 | 7/7 | 2027-08-08 | Sunday |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | 中秋节 | 8/15 | 2027-09-15 | Wednesday |
| Double Ninth Festival | 重阳节 | 9/9 | 2027-10-08 | Friday |
| Laba Festival | 腊八节 | 12/8 | 2028-01-04 | Tuesday |
| New Year's Eve (last day of the Goat year) | 除夕 | last day of month 12 | 2028-01-25 | Tuesday |
The fifteen days of Chinese New Year 2027
| Day | Date | Name | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | 2027-02-06 | New Year's Day | Visiting the paternal family; no sweeping (so the luck is not swept out); red envelopes from married elders to children and the unmarried. |
| Day 2 | 2027-02-07 | Day of the Son-in-law | Married daughters visit their parents with their husbands. |
| Day 3 | 2027-02-08 | Red Dog Day (赤口) | Traditionally a day to stay in and avoid arguments; visiting is put off. |
| Day 4 | 2027-02-09 | Welcoming the Kitchen God | Household gods return; some families reopen shops. |
| Day 5 | 2027-02-10 | Breaking the Fifth (破五) | New Year taboos end; dumplings; businesses reopen. |
| Day 6 | 2027-02-11 | Horse Day | Sending off poverty (送穷): cleaning out rubbish saved since New Year's Day. |
| Day 7 | 2027-02-12 | Renri (人日), Everyone's Birthday | Seven-ingredient soup or vegetables; in some regions raw fish salad (捞鱼生). |
| Day 8 | 2027-02-13 | Grain Day | A clear night is read as a good harvest year. |
| Day 9 | 2027-02-14 | Jade Emperor's Birthday | Offerings at midnight, especially in Fujian and Hokkien communities. |
| Day 10 | 2027-02-15 | Stone Day | No moving of stones or grinding; the earth rests. |
| Day 11 | 2027-02-16 | Son-in-law Day (regional) | Fathers-in-law host sons-in-law with leftovers from the Jade Emperor's offerings. |
| Day 12 | 2027-02-17 | Preparing lanterns | Lantern shopping; markets fill with lanterns. |
| Day 13 | 2027-02-18 | Lighting the lanterns | Lanterns are hung and lit in the evening. |
| Day 14 | 2027-02-19 | Lantern rehearsal | Lantern displays are tested; sweet rice balls prepared. |
| Day 15 | 2027-02-20 | Lantern Festival (元宵) | Lanterns, riddles, sweet rice balls (汤圆); the first full moon of the year closes the celebrations. |
Red envelope amounts
| Amount | Why |
|---|---|
| 8, 88, 888 | Eight (八) sounds like "prosper" (发). |
| 6, 66, 666 | Six (六) sounds like "smooth" (溜/顺). |
| 168, 1688 | "All the way to prosperity" (一路发). |
| 99, 999 | Nine (九) sounds like "long-lasting" (久). |
| Avoid 4 and 40 | Four (四) sounds like "death" (死); odd amounts are also avoided for the living. |
The envelope is only part of the list. Gifts are exchanged across the whole fortnight from New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival, and several of the customs around them — which numbers to avoid, why a clock is never given, and why the red cord worn in a Ben Ming Nian has to come from somebody else rather than be bought — decide what goes in the bag before the shopping starts. The Year of the Goat 2027 gift guide collects the etiquette, the things tradition says never to give, and a note for each of the twelve signs.
The 24 solar terms of 2027
| Solar term | Chinese | Beijing time (UTC+8) | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor Cold | 小寒 | 2027-01-05 22:09 | 2027-01-05T14:09:58Z |
| Major Cold | 大寒 | 2027-01-20 15:29 | 2027-01-20T07:29:50Z |
| Start of Spring | 立春 | 2027-02-04 09:46 | 2027-02-04T01:46:18Z |
| Rain Water | 雨水 | 2027-02-19 05:33 | 2027-02-18T21:33:29Z |
| Awakening of Insects | 惊蛰 | 2027-03-06 03:39 | 2027-03-05T19:39:33Z |
| Spring Equinox | 春分 | 2027-03-21 04:24 | 2027-03-20T20:24:42Z |
| Pure Brightness | 清明 | 2027-04-05 08:17 | 2027-04-05T00:17:31Z |
| Grain Rain | 谷雨 | 2027-04-20 15:17 | 2027-04-20T07:17:38Z |
| Start of Summer | 立夏 | 2027-05-06 01:25 | 2027-05-05T17:25:12Z |
| Grain Buds | 小满 | 2027-05-21 14:18 | 2027-05-21T06:18:14Z |
| Grain in Ear | 芒种 | 2027-06-06 05:25 | 2027-06-05T21:25:48Z |
| Summer Solstice | 夏至 | 2027-06-21 22:10 | 2027-06-21T14:10:50Z |
| Minor Heat | 小暑 | 2027-07-07 15:37 | 2027-07-07T07:37:03Z |
| Major Heat | 大暑 | 2027-07-23 09:04 | 2027-07-23T01:04:39Z |
| Start of Autumn | 立秋 | 2027-08-08 01:26 | 2027-08-07T17:26:46Z |
| End of Heat | 处暑 | 2027-08-23 16:14 | 2027-08-23T08:14:19Z |
| White Dew | 白露 | 2027-09-08 04:28 | 2027-09-07T20:28:28Z |
| Autumn Equinox | 秋分 | 2027-09-23 14:01 | 2027-09-23T06:01:43Z |
| Cold Dew | 寒露 | 2027-10-08 20:17 | 2027-10-08T12:17:06Z |
| Frost Descent | 霜降 | 2027-10-23 23:32 | 2027-10-23T15:32:52Z |
| Start of Winter | 立冬 | 2027-11-07 23:38 | 2027-11-07T15:38:35Z |
| Minor Snow | 小雪 | 2027-11-22 21:16 | 2027-11-22T13:16:14Z |
| Major Snow | 大雪 | 2027-12-07 16:37 | 2027-12-07T08:37:41Z |
| Winter Solstice | 冬至 | 2027-12-22 10:42 | 2027-12-22T02:42:10Z |
Frequently asked questions
- When is Chinese New Year 2027?
- Saturday, 6 February 2027. New Year's Eve is 5 February 2027; the Lantern Festival is 20 February 2027.
- What animal is 2027?
- The Goat (Sheep/Ram) — specifically the Fire Goat, 丁未 in the sixty-year cycle. Its Na Yin element is "Water of the Heavenly River" (天河水).
- Is 2027 the year of the Goat, Sheep or Ram?
- All three names translate the same branch 未 (羊, yáng). "Goat" is the most common in Chinese-English references, "Sheep" in older sources, "Ram" in some Western almanacs; there is no difference in the astrology.
- When does the Goat year actually start — New Year or Lichun?
- Both are used for different things. Festivals and the lunar calendar start on 6 February 2027. The astrological year (zodiac sign for BaZi, Tai Sui, Flying Star Feng Shui) starts at Lichun, 4 Feb 2027, 09:46 (Beijing time, UTC+8).