There are two dates a Chinese zodiac year could be said to start:
- Chinese New Year – day 1 of the lunar year
Falls somewhere between January 21 and February 20. - Start of Spring – day 1 of the solar year
Falls somewhere between February 3 and February 5.
The year of the Tiger begins on February 1st, 2022 (Chinese lunar New Year Day) and lasts until January 22nd, 2023. This will be a Black Water Tiger year.
Note: The new moon time determines the new moon date. The new moon time is at 13:46 on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, in the China time zone. Therefore, Chinese New Year Day is Tuesday, February 1, 2022.
The new moon time is at 15:01 on Monday, January 31, 2022, in the US Pacific time zone. Therefore, the 2022 Chinese New Year Day is on Monday, January 31, 2022, in the Pacific Time zone.
Most Chinese people use lunar new year as the start of the zodiac year. But for professional fortune telling, Chinese astrologers use ‘Start of Spring’ or solar new year as the beginning of the zodiac year.
The first month of the Chinese zodiac year is the Tiger Month. That starts when the sun enters the 315th degree on the tropical zodiac. Therefore, this is a solar calendar. The Tiger Month always begins around February 4 each year. The Chinese Astrology birth chart is built by the Chinese Zodiac Calendar, not the Chinese lunar calendar.
- Rat Month: December 7 (2021) – January 4
- Cow Month: January 5 – February 2
- Tiger Month: February 4 – March 4
- Rabbit Month: March 5 – April 4
- Dragon Month: April 5 – May 4
- Snake Month: May 5 – June 5
- Horse Month: June 6 – July 6
- Sheep Month: July 7 – August 6
- Monkey Month: August 7 – September 6
- Chicken Month: September 7 – October 7
- Dog Month: October 8 – November 6
- Pig Month: November 7 – December 6
- Rat Month: December 7 – January 4 (2023)
Chinese New Year Day is the first lunar day of the first Chinese lunar month. That means the new moon day is the first lunar day. The new moon day could fall on a different day in different time zones. Therefore, 2022 lunar months may be different between China and USA time zones.
- 1st Lunar Month – Tiger Month
February 1, 2022 to March 2, 2022 - 2nd Lunar Month – Rabbit Month
March 3, 2022 to March 31, 2022 - 3rd Lunar Month – Dragon Month
April 1, 2022 to April 30, 2022 - 4th Lunar Month – Snake Month
May 1, 2022 to May 29, 2022 - 5th Lunar Month – Horse Month
May 30, 2022 to June 28, 2022 - 6th Lunar Month – Sheep Month
June 29, 2022 to July 28, 2022 - 7th Lunar Month – Monkey Month
July 29, 2022 to August 26, 2022 - 8th Lunar Month – Chicken Month
August 27, 2022 to September 25, 2022 - 9th Lunar Month – Dog Month
September 26, 2022 to October 24, 2022 - 10th Lunar Month – Pig Month
October 25, 2022 to November 23, 2022 - 11th Lunar Month – Rat Month
November 24, 2022 to December 22, 2022 - 12th Lunar Month – Cow/Ox Month
December 23, 2022 to January 21, 2023
Solar Calendar – For Farmers
The Chinese calendar combines the lunar and solar systems together. The lunar calendar is the cycle of the moon. The solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar segments according to the sun positions on the tropical zodiac (Similar to western astrology). Each segment’s name was given for ancient Chinese farmers’ use.
- Little Cold begins January 5
- Severe Cold begins January 20
- Start of Spring begins February 4
- Rain Water begins February 19
- Excited Insects begins March 5
- Vernal Equinox begins March 20
- Clear and Bright begins April 5
- Grain Rains begins at April 20
- Start of Summer begins May 5
- Grain Fills begins May 21
- Grain in Ear begins June 6
- Summer Solstice begins June 21
- Slight Heat begins July 7
- Great Heat begins July 23
- Start of Autumn begins August 7
- Still Hot begins August 23
- White Dew begins September 7
- Autumnal Equinox begins September 23
- Cold Dew begins October 8
- Frost Descends begins October 23
- Start of Winter begins November 7
- Light Snow begins November 22
- Heavy Snow begins December 7
- Winter Solstice begins December 22
Chinese Festivals and Holidays
- Chinese New Year is on February 1, 2022.
(1st lunar day of 1st lunar month) - Chinese Lantern Festival is on February 15, 2022.
(15th lunar day of 1st lunar month) - Ching-Ming/Tomb Sweeping Day is on April 5, 2022.
- Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is on June 3, 2022.
(5th lunar day of 5th lunar month) - Chinese Valentine Day is on August 4, 2022.
(7th lunar day of 7th lunar month) - Chinese Ghost Festival is on August 12, 2022.
(15th lunar day of 7th lunar month) - Chinese Ghost Month is from July 29, 2022 to August 27, 2022
- Chinese Moon Festival is on September 10, 2022.
(15th lunar day of 8th lunar month) - Chinese Elder’s Day is on October 4, 2022.
(9th lunar day of 9th lunar month)
The “Chinese Zodiac” in Other Countries
The Chinese zodiac has a great influence on several Asian countries, such as the Koreas, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, and Myanmar. In some countries, the zodiac signs are the same as the Chinese ones, while some of the animals differ in other countries.
The 12 Chinese zodiac animals in order are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. These animal signs are exactly the same in South Korea, North Korea, Singapore, and Cambodia.
The Japanese 12 zodiac animals in order are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar.
The Vietnamese 12 zodiac animals in order are: Rat, Buffalo, Tiger, Cat, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
The Thai 12 zodiac animals in order are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Naga (a mythical half-human-half-snake spirit), Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
The Burmese 8 zodiac animals are: Garuda (a mythical bird), Tiger, Lion, Elephant (with tusks), Rat, Guinea Pig, and Dragon.
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