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Chinese New Year 2033
Monday, 31 January 2033. It opens the Year of the Water Ox, 癸丑, which runs until 18 February 2034.
- New Year's Eve30 January 2033
- New Year's Day31 January 2033
- Lantern Festival14 February 2033
- Animal and elementWater Ox 水牛, Yin
- Year ends18 February 2034; the next new year is 19 February 2034
What the Ox year carries
The Ox
Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion.
The Ox would have won the river race, but carried the Rat across and came second without complaint.
Water 水
Water years are associated with adaptability and depth: rivers finding their way. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
The pairing of stem and branch, 癸丑, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Ox year was 1973, the next is 2093.
How the festival is kept
New Year's Eve, 30 January 2033
The reunion dinner (年夜饭): the whole family at one table, dumplings in the north, fish everywhere because 鱼 sounds like "surplus". Red couplets go up on the door, and the house is already cleaned so bad luck is not swept out in the new year.
New Year's Day, 31 January 2033
Red envelopes (红包) from elders to children, visits to relatives in order of seniority, new clothes, and the first words of the year chosen with care: 新年快乐, happy new year, and 恭喜发财, wishing you prosperity.
Lantern Festival, 14 February 2033
The fifteenth night, the first full moon of the year: lanterns, riddles hung on them, and sweet rice balls (汤圆) whose round shape stands for the family together. It closes the season.
Chinese New Year in other years
The second new moon after the winter solstice, so it moves between 21 January and 20 February.
- 202410 February 2024, Wood Dragon
- 202529 January 2025, Wood Snake
- 202617 February 2026, Fire Horse
- 20276 February 2027, Fire Goat
- 202826 January 2028, Earth Monkey
- 202913 February 2029, Earth Rooster
- 20303 February 2030, Metal Dog
- 203123 January 2031, Metal Pig
- 203211 February 2032, Water Rat
- 203419 February 2034, Wood Tiger
- 20358 February 2035, Wood Rabbit
Questions
When is Chinese New Year 2033?
Monday, 31 January 2033. New Year's Eve is 30 January 2033, and the Lantern Festival that closes the celebrations is 14 February 2033.
What animal is 2033 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Ox. From 31 January 2033 to 18 February 2034 it is the year of the Water Ox (癸丑). Before 31 January 2033, the year still belongs to the previous animal.
Why does the date change every year?
The festival falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, so it moves between 21 January and 20 February on the Western calendar.
How long does Chinese New Year last?
Fifteen days, from New Year's Day to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month. Most people have a week of public holiday in mainland China.
Born in a Ox year?
Your animal depends on the exact date, not the calendar year.
Find your animal
Enter your birthday and we count it by the lunar calendar: the animal, its element, your lunar birth date and your next zodiac year.
Chinese zodiac calculatorWant the Ox in ink on your wall? The zodiac poster sets the animal above your name and lunar birthday. Giving a Chinese name this new year? Three real names, free.