Chinese New Year 2027: When the Year of the Goat Begins

The date: Saturday 6 February 2027

Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year, falls on Saturday 6 February 2027. The Hong Kong Observatory's calendar conversion table for 2027 marks 6 February as the first day of the first lunar month, and Hong Kong's Labour Department lists 6 February 2027 as Lunar New Year's Day among the statutory holidays for that year.

The date moves every year because it follows the moon. The Farmers' Almanac explains that Lunar New Year usually coincides with the second new moon after the winter solstice, which places it between 21 January and 21 February. In 2026 it fell on 17 February; in 2027 it comes eleven days earlier in the solar calendar.

Ding-wei: a Fire Goat year

The Hong Kong Observatory's table names 2027 the Ding-wei year of the Goat. In the stem-and-branch system, every year is named by pairing one of ten Heavenly Stems with one of the twelve Earthly Branches; Wei is the branch of the Goat, and Ding is the stem. The Farmers' Almanac describes 2027 as a Fire Goat year, since the Ding stem belongs to the Fire element. Our five elements guide explains how the elements turn with the years.

The pairs move on together, so the same stem-and-branch name returns only once every sixty years. According to Wikipedia's article on the sexagenary cycle, the present sixty-year cycle began with a Jia-zi year in 1984.

Who counts as a Goat

Goat years come round every twelve years. Recent Goat years began at Chinese New Year in 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 and now 2027. Because the year changes at Chinese New Year rather than on 1 January, the exact boundary differs each year: a person born in January or early February belongs to the previous year's animal if they were born before that year's new year.

That matters for babies born at the start of 2027. A child born between 1 January and 5 February 2027 is still a Horse; a child born from 6 February 2027 is a Goat. Our zodiac sign checker applies the exact new-year date for every year, so you do not have to look it up.

Lunar New Year or Spring Commences?

There is one complication. The calendar year changes at Lunar New Year, but some astrologers count the zodiac year from the solar term Lichun, Spring Commences. Wikipedia's article on the sexagenary cycle notes this difference: the calendar count increments at Lunar New Year, while for astrological purposes the year begins with Lichun.

In 2027 the Hong Kong Observatory places Spring Commences on 4 February, two days before Lunar New Year. So for a baby born on 4 or 5 February 2027, the answer depends on the method: a Horse by the lunar calendar, a Goat by Lichun. Our site follows Lunar New Year, the common everyday method.

And in Cambodia?

Cambodians also use a Khmer animal year, which changes at Khmer New Year in April rather than at Chinese New Year. Khmer New Year 2027 is expected on 14–16 April 2027 by the Khmer lunar calendar, but the official 2027 holiday list has not yet been published, so treat that date as to be confirmed. Our guide Khmer New Year and the animal year explains why the two systems change on different dates.

How the Goat relates to the other signs

Traditional compatibility describes how each sign relates to the Goat, the animal of the year. These are cultural relationships, not predictions:

• Rabbit and Pig share the Goat's triangle (Rabbit, Goat and Pig) and are traditionally said to be supported by it.
• Ox sits directly opposite the Goat on the zodiac circle, the traditional clash pair, and is often advised to be patient in a Goat year. Our guide to zodiac clashes explains the six pairs.
• Goat people meet their own animal's year, which comes round every twelve years.
• The other signs have no special traditional relationship with the Goat year.

For day-to-day guidance, our daily fortune rates every sign each day from the same traditional rules.

Frequently asked questions

When is Chinese New Year 2027?

Saturday 6 February 2027, according to the Hong Kong Observatory's 2027 calendar table and Hong Kong's list of statutory holidays.

What animal is 2027?

2027 is the Ding-wei year of the Goat, a Fire Goat year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 6 February 2027.

Is a baby born in January 2027 a Goat?

No. Babies born from 1 January to 5 February 2027 are Horses, because the Goat year starts on 6 February. Some astrologers count from Spring Commences on 4 February instead.

Which signs get along with the Goat?

Traditionally the Rabbit and the Pig, which share the Goat's triangle. The Ox is the Goat's clash sign.

Sources and further reading

• Hong Kong Labour Department: “Statutory Holidays for 2027” — Lunar New Year's Day falls on 6 February 2027.
• Hong Kong Observatory: Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table of 2027 — 2027 is the Ding-wei year of the Goat; the first lunar month begins on 6 February 2027 and Spring Commences (Lichun) falls on 4 February.
• Farmers' Almanac: “When Is Lunar New Year 2027? Year of the Goat” — Lunar New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, between 21 January and 21 February; 2026 is a Horse year from 17 February and 2027 a Fire Goat year from 6 February.
• Wikipedia: “Sexagenary cycle” — the unbroken sexagenary day count, the worked example of 1 October 1949 as a Jia-zi day, 1984 as the start of the present cycle, and Lunar New Year versus Lichun as the start of the year.

Traditional Chinese zodiac reading for culture and entertainment, not a scientific prediction. Dates follow the published calendars cited above.