Stellune
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February. It opens the year of the Fire Goat and closes the fast-moving Fire Horse year. Also called the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, it’s the most important celebration in the Chinese calendar, marked by more than a billion people around the world.
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Friday 5 February 2027 | New Year’s Eve: the reunion dinner |
| Saturday 6 February 2027 | New Year’s Day: the Fire Goat year begins |
| 6 to about 20 February | The fifteen days of celebration |
| Saturday 20 February 2027 | The Lantern Festival closes the season |
Why the date changes every year
The Chinese calendar is lunisolar: months follow the Moon, but the year is kept in step with the seasons. New Year falls on the second new Moon after the winter solstice, which always lands between 21 January and 20 February. That’s why it moves, and why January and February birthdays sometimes belong to the previous zodiac year.
Customs before New Year
- Cleaning the house from top to bottom in the days before, to sweep away the old year’s bad luck.
- Decorating in red: lanterns, paper cuttings and spring couplets (pairs of good-luck verses) on doorways.
- Settling debts and finishing tasks, so you don’t carry them into the new year.
Customs on the day and after
- The reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, often the biggest family meal of the year. Dishes are chosen for lucky meanings: fish for abundance, dumplings for wealth, sticky rice cake for rising fortunes.
- Red envelopes (hongbao) with money, given by elders and married couples to children and younger relatives.
- No sweeping on New Year’s Day, so you don’t sweep the good luck out of the door.
- Visiting family and friends, wearing new clothes and avoiding arguments and sad words.
- Fireworks and lion dances to welcome the year and scare off bad luck.
Welcoming the Fire Goat
The Goat is the gentlest animal in the Chinese zodiac, linked with kindness, creativity, peace and home. A good way to welcome its year is in its own spirit:
- cook a meal for people you love;
- make something by hand;
- mend a relationship that drifted during the busy Horse year;
- set one gentle intention for the year.
If you’re a Goat, 2027 is your own animal’s year, traditionally a year for extra care. (See your own Chinese zodiac year.)
Questions people ask
When is Chinese New Year 2027?
Saturday 6 February 2027. New Year’s Eve is Friday 5 February.
What animal is 2027 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Goat (also called the Sheep or Ram), with the element Fire: the Fire Goat.
How long does Chinese New Year last?
The celebration traditionally lasts fifteen days, ending with the Lantern Festival on Saturday 20 February 2027.
Why is red important at Chinese New Year?
Red stands for good luck and protection, and is said to scare away the mythical beast Nian, who appeared at the turn of the year.
Astrology here is for reflection and self-understanding. It doesn't predict events, and it isn't medical, legal or financial advice.