.png)
The Lunar New Year, also referred to as the Chinese New Year, is an ancient celebration of spring, spirituality and rebirth. In China and in Chinese communities, the Lunar New Year is celebrated with a week-long festival of Dragon dancing, lantern shows and gift wrapped in red.
Not only does the Lunar New Year mark a time of celebration, it's also a good opportunity to tune into your spiritual side. We spoke to author of Chinese Astrology: The Key to Understanding Yourself, Master Chue Kay CHDS YHH from The Energy Specialist and Charlotte Frejya-Richwoods from Rising Dragon Feng Shui to find out more.
When is Lunar New Year?
The Lunar New Year falls on a slightly different date each year depending on the phases of the moon. This year, the Lunar New Year begins with the New Moon on February 10. Festivities will continue until the Full Moon on February 24.
“The Lunar Chinese New Year is determined by the moon cycle and occurs on the second New Moon after the winter solstice of the previous year,” explains Kay. “The date moves each year due to waiting until the moon cycle of the winter solstice has completed and a full cycle of the moon has occurred before the New Year is celebrated on the next New Moon.”
She adds, “The first day of spring in the Chinese calendar is on the 4th or 5th of February. It is auspicious for the season of spring to arrive before the Lunar New Year as it does in 2024.”
Although the Lunar New Year is most commonly associated with Chinese culture, it is celebrated in a number of other cultures, too, including Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar.
.jpg)
What is the Lunar New Year animal in 2024?
Each year, the Chinese New Year is associated with one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
“The lunar calendaring system uses 12 animals and each animal has five siblings, one for each of the five elements,” says Frejya-Richwoods. “2024 will see the start of the year of the Wood Dragon.”
According to Frejya-Richwoods, the personalities of the animals often coincide with our lives.
“Each animal has its own persona,” she says. "If we go back a few years, we see that 2020 was the year of the Rat. The nature of the Rat is to hide away in its burrow, only coming out when it needs food and quickly scurrying away if sees a human. In 2020, we were all like rats as lockdowns came about to combat the pandemic. In 2021 came the Ox. The Ox is very hard working but someone else is always milking it for all it is worth, so many of us found that when we got back to work in 2021 it was hard work and we didn't get much richer for it."
Look to the stars for a little insight on what's to come…
In 2024, the Lunar New Year will be welcoming in the year of the dragon in China. The dragon is one of the most revered zodiac signs in Chinese culture. It is said that those born during the year of the dragon will find great success and good fortune.
“We may see many changes to leadership within countries, royalty, families and the world,” she notes. “It also marks a special change where the dominant energy in the universe turns from favouring men in power, to supporting women. We will witness many of the obscenities of toxic masculinity that built up over the last 20 years being challenged as this supporting qi [energy] for women will persist for two decades powering their ascendency.”
In other cultures, the animal zodiac signs sometimes differ slightly:
- Japan: The pig is replaced with a boar in the Japanese zodiac.
- Vietnam: The Vietnamese zodiac has a buffalo in place of the ox and a cat in place of the rabbit.
- Thailand: Instead of the dragon, the Thai zodiac has Naga, a mythical, snake-like monster. This year, in 2024, it will be the Year of the Naga in Thailand.
- Myanmar: Instead of an annual zodiac, Myanmar has animals that link to the days of the week.
How does the Chinese calendar work?
As you may have guessed, the Chinese calendar is slightly different to the 12-month western calendar. The calendar follows the lunar phases rather than the months, weeks and days laid out by the Georgian calendar we follow in the west.
Nevertheless, the Chinese calendar looks fairly similar to our own. The calendar features 12 months of alternately 29 and 30 days, which comes to 354 days. “Intercalary months” are introduced so that the Chinese year stays in line with the Earth's journey around the sun: about 365 days.
How do leap years work in the Chinese calendar?
Because the Chinese calendar revolves around the lunar phases, leap years are a little different. “The Chinese calendar has very different leap years to the Western Gregorian calendar,” Frejya-Richwood says. “In the Western calendar, years are based upon the Earth's orbit of the Sun which is very close to 365 days. Every fourth year the tiny bit extra it takes creates an extra day in February.”
In Chinese culture, however, a leap year occurs when there are 13 new moons in one solar cycle, which means adding a whole extra month. “Last year this happened and there were 13 full moons in the year.”
“A lunar eclipse, which takes place at the full moon, usually marks a dramatic ending – sometimes quite a sudden one.”
How is Lunar New Year celebrated?
The Lunar New Year is celebrated in China and around the world with two weeks of festivities.
“The Dragon Dance is a Chinese tradition that is held in high regard,” says Kay. “The Dragon dances through the street and it is highly auspicious if he calls at your door. Shops and businesses will have food to offer to the Dragon as a mark of respect and gratitude for his blessings if they are fortunate enough to be paid a visit.”
Food is also a big part of the celebrations. “There is an array of dishes on offer. Fish is very popular due to its representation of the money energy,” she says.
What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
Your Chinese zodiac sign corresponds with the year in which you were born. Remember, the Chinese New Year begins in late January or early February each year, so if you're a January or February baby, you might have a different zodiac sign than other people born in the same Georgian calendar year — be sure to check when the Chinese New Year started in your birth year to find out if you might actually correspond to the zodiac sign from the previous year.
Here are the Chinese zodiac signs by birth year:
- Rat: 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
- Ox: 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
- Tiger: 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
- Rabbit: 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
- Dragon: 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
- Snake: 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025
- Horse: 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026
- Goat: 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027
- Monkey: 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028
- Rooster: 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
- Dog: 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030
- Pig: 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031
