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Festival · 春节 · 2027
Chinese New Year 2027: Year of the Fire Goat 2027年春节 · 丁未羊年
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027, starting the year of the 丁未 Fire Goat (火羊年). New Year's Eve (除夕) is Friday, February 5, 2027, and the 15-day festival ends with the Lantern Festival (元宵节) on Saturday, February 20, 2027. The Goat year runs until Jan 25, 2028.
All dates on this page are computed from the traditional Chinese calendar (农历), the same calculation behind our lunar calendar. Also called Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival (春节, Chūnjié).
Chinese New Year 2027 dates
| Occasion | Lunar date | 2027 date |
|---|---|---|
| Laba Festival 腊八节The season begins | 腊月初八 | Friday, January 15, 2027 |
| Little New Year, north 北方小年Seeing off the Kitchen God | 腊月廿三 | Saturday, January 30, 2027 |
| Little New Year, south 南方小年 | 腊月廿四 | Sunday, January 31, 2027 |
| Start of Spring 立春Solar term | 节气 | Thursday, February 4, 2027 |
| New Year's Eve 除夕Reunion dinner | 腊月廿九 | Friday, February 5, 2027 |
| New Year's Day 春节 · 初一 | 正月初一 | Saturday, February 6, 2027 |
| Breaking the Fifth 破五 | 正月初五 | Wednesday, February 10, 2027 |
| Everyone's Birthday 人日 | 正月初七 | Friday, February 12, 2027 |
| Lantern Festival 元宵节End of the New Year season | 正月十五 | Saturday, February 20, 2027 |
The twelfth lunar month of 2026–2027 is a "short" month of 29 days, so there is no 腊月三十 this year: New Year's Eve falls on the 29th (腊月廿九). It is still called 除夕 or 大年夜, and nothing about the celebration changes.
February 4 brings the Start of Spring (立春) two days before New Year. In Chinese astrology and bazi (八字), the zodiac year technically turns at 立春; in everyday use, everyone counts from New Year's Day. See Lunar New Year dates for other years.
The Fire Goat: what 丁未 means
Every year in the Chinese calendar has a two-character name from a 60-year cycle. The first character is one of ten heavenly stems (天干), each tied to one of the five elements; the second is one of twelve earthly branches (地支), each tied to a zodiac animal. 2027 is 丁未 (Dīng Wèi).
丁 is yin Fire. Where 丙, the yang Fire of 2026's Horse year, is pictured as the sun, 丁 is the gentler fire of a candle or a lamp: warm, steady, something that lights a room rather than a sky. 2026 and 2027 are back-to-back Fire years.
未 is the Goat, the eighth branch. It belongs to Earth, to the height of summer (the sixth lunar month), and to the hours of 1 to 3 pm. In five-element thinking Fire feeds Earth (火生土), so the Fire Goat is read as a supportive, harmonious pairing: warmth nourishing steady ground. Its traditional "sound element" (纳音) is 天河水, Water of the Heavenly River, which it shares with the Fire Horse.
The Goat itself stands for gentleness, kindness, creativity and peace. In classical Chinese, 羊 doubled as 祥, "good omen", which is why New Year decorations love the pun 三羊开泰, "three goats bring prosperity". The last Fire Goat year was 1967; the next is 2087. Read the full Year of the Goat guide, see what 2027 holds for all 12 signs and which signs offend Tai Sui, or find your own sign in the Chinese zodiac table.
Folk note: a "year without spring". The 丁未 year starts after February 4, 2027's Start of Spring, and ends before the next one, so it contains no 立春 at all. Folk tradition calls this 无春年 ("blind year" or "widow year"), and some older relatives prefer not to hold weddings in it. It is a calendar quirk that happens every few years; most modern couples pay it no mind. Planning a wedding? See wedding dates for 2027.
Before New Year: the run-up 年前
The New Year season really starts in the twelfth lunar month (腊月, Làyuè). A northern folk rhyme gives every day a job: 二十三，糖瓜粘；二十四，扫房子；二十五，磨豆腐… ("the 23rd, sticky candy; the 24th, sweep the house; the 25th, grind the tofu…"). The details vary from village to village, but the rhythm is the same everywhere: clean, shop, cook, decorate.
Laba 腊八 · Friday, January 15, 2027
On the eighth day of the twelfth month, families cook 腊八粥, a congee of grains, beans, nuts and dried fruit, and in the north put garlic to pickle in vinegar so it turns jade green by New Year. "After Laba, it's the New Year" (过了腊八就是年), as the saying goes. More on the Laba Festival.
Little New Year 小年 · January 30 or January 31
Little New Year is when the Kitchen God (灶王爷, Zàowáng yé) goes up to heaven to report on the family. He is sent off with sweets, especially sticky malt candy (糖瓜), so his words will be sweet, or his lips glued shut. The date differs by region: northern China usually marks it on the 23rd of the twelfth month (Saturday, January 30, 2027), southern China on the 24th (Sunday, January 31, 2027), and a few areas use other days. Ask your family which one they keep.
The big clean 扫尘
扫尘 (sǎo chén, "sweeping the dust") is a deep clean of the whole home, done after Little New Year and finished before New Year's Eve. 尘 (dust) sounds like 陈 (old), so you are sweeping out the old year. It has to be done in time, because on New Year's Day itself, sweeping is off limits.
Shopping, haircuts and decorations
The last weeks are for 年货 (New Year shopping): snacks, new clothes, red envelopes, gifts for elders. Many people get a haircut before New Year, since some families avoid cutting hair in the first lunar month. On the last day or two, spring couplets (春联) go up on either side of the door with a horizontal banner above, along with the character 福 (fortune), often hung upside down because "upside down" (倒, dào) sounds like "arrived" (到).
New Year's Eve 除夕 · Friday, February 5, 2027
For most families this is the most important night of the year. Everyone tries to get home for the reunion dinner (年夜饭 or 团圆饭); the mass journey home inside China, 春运, is famous for a reason. After dinner, families stay up to "guard the year" (守岁), and many watch the Spring Festival Gala (春晚), broadcast from Beijing at 8 pm China time. Firecrackers at midnight scare off 年 (Nián), the beast of the old legend, and welcome the new year. Elders often hand out red envelopes tonight, called 压岁钱 (yāsuìqián), "money to hold down the year", which children traditionally keep under their pillow.
The 15 days of Chinese New Year 2027, day by day
Customs vary a lot by region and family; here is what each day traditionally means, with its 2027 date. For a family-oriented version, see our day-by-day traditions guide.
| Day · 2027 | What it's for |
|---|---|
| 初一 Day 1Sat, Feb 6 | New Year's DayPut on new clothes (red is the favorite), and greet the eldest generation first: this round of visits is 拜年 (bàinián). Children and unmarried relatives receive red envelopes. Many Buddhist and Cantonese families keep the first meal vegetarian, often 罗汉斋 (Buddha's delight). It is also the day with the most taboos: no sweeping, no hair-washing, no scissors. |
| 初二 Day 2Sun, Feb 7 | Visiting the wife's familyMarried daughters go back to their parents' home with husband and children (回娘家). In Cantonese families the second day is 开年, "opening the year", with a festive lunch. In parts of northern China, households make offerings to the God of Wealth. |
| 初三 Day 3Mon, Feb 8 | A quiet dayCalled 赤狗日 (Red Dog Day), or 赤口 in Cantonese. It is said to invite quarrels, so many people skip visiting and stay home. After two days of hosting, most families welcome the excuse. |
| 初四 Day 4Tue, Feb 9 | Welcoming the gods backIn many southern, Hokkien and Taiwanese households, the household gods return from heaven and are welcomed with incense and offerings (接神). In the old sequence of "animal days" at the start of the year, the fourth day is often given to the goat, a nice coincidence in a Goat year. |
| 初五 Day 5Wed, Feb 10 | Breaking the Fifth破五 (Pòwǔ): many of the first-day taboos are lifted. Families welcome the God of Wealth (迎财神) with firecrackers, and in the north, dumplings. Traditionally many shops reopened on this day. |
| 初六 Day 6Thu, Feb 11 | Sending away povertyThe rubbish saved since New Year's Day finally goes out, a custom called 送穷, "sending off poverty". Many businesses choose the fifth or sixth day to reopen (开市). |
| 初七 Day 7Fri, Feb 12 | Everyone's birthday人日 (Rénrì), the "day of humans", when everyone is said to grow a year older. Some southern families eat a seven-vegetable dish or noodles for long life. In Malaysia and Singapore, families toss 捞生 (yusheng, "lo hei"), a raw-fish salad tossed high for luck; it is tied to this day but now eaten all season. |
| 初八 Day 8Sat, Feb 13 | Back to workIn some northern regions, families honor the stars on the evening of the eighth (顺星). Hokkien families start preparing for the Jade Emperor's birthday at midnight. In mainland China, the official public holiday usually lasts about a week, so many people are back at work around now. |
| 初九 Day 9Sun, Feb 14 | The Jade Emperor's birthday天公诞 (Tiāngōng dàn), the biggest day of the season for Hokkien communities in Fujian, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. Families set up offering tables, often with stalks of sugarcane tied with red paper. |
| 初十 Day 10Mon, Feb 15 | Visits continueIn some northern areas the tenth is the "birthday of stones" (石头生日), when millstones and grinders are left to rest. Elsewhere, visits to friends and colleagues carry on. |
| 十一 Day 11Tue, Feb 16 | Son-in-law dayIn some regions the wife's parents host their son-in-law on the eleventh (子婿日). For most families today, this is simply a calm stretch between visits. |
| 十二 Day 12Wed, Feb 17 | Lantern preparationsAttention turns to the Lantern Festival: lanterns are bought or made, and in older custom, lantern sheds were put up in the street. |
| 十三 Day 13Thu, Feb 18 | Lanterns go upIn many southern regions lanterns are hung and lit from the thirteenth (上灯), and stay up through the full moon. |
| 十四 Day 14Fri, Feb 19 | Trial lanternsLast preparations: testing lanterns (试灯), shopping for the festival, and making or buying sweet rice balls. |
| 十五 Day 15Sat, Feb 20 | Lantern Festival元宵节: the first full moon of the year closes the New Year season. Lanterns, lantern riddles (灯谜), lion dances, and sweet rice balls: 汤圆 (tāngyuán, wrapped, in the south) or 元宵 (yuánxiāo, rolled, in the north). In Malaysia and Singapore it is Chap Goh Mei (十五暝), when, in a well-known Penang custom, young single women toss mandarin oranges into the sea hoping for a good match. |
The "animal days" come from old almanac lore: rooster, dog, pig, goat, ox and horse for days 1 to 6, then people on day 7. Some sources swap the pig and the goat.
Food and what it means
Almost every New Year dish carries a wish, usually through a pun. Some favorites, north and south:
| Food | Why |
|---|---|
| Whole fish 鱼 | 鱼 (yú) sounds like 余, surplus: 年年有余, "abundance every year". Many families leave some uneaten so the surplus carries over. |
| Dumplings 饺子 | A northern must, shaped like old silver ingots. Families wrap them together on New Year's Eve. |
| Rice cake 年糕 | 年糕 (niángāo) sounds like "higher every year" (年高). Cantonese families also make turnip cake (萝卜糕) and taro cake. |
| Spring rolls 春卷 | Golden and bar-shaped, for wealth. Eaten especially in the south. |
| Long noodles 长寿面 | Long life, as long as the noodle stays unbroken. |
| Whole chicken 鸡 | 鸡 (jī) sounds like 吉, good luck; served whole for family togetherness. |
| Mandarin oranges 橘子 · 桔 | Gold for wealth, and 桔 echoes 吉. In Cantonese and Southeast Asian homes, visitors bring a pair. |
| Fat choy & lettuce 发菜 · 生菜 | Cantonese puns: 发菜 for "get rich" (发财), 生菜 for "growing wealth" (生财). |
| Tray of togetherness 全盒 | A round candy box for guests: candied lotus seeds, winter melon, melon seeds and sweets. |
| Sweet rice balls 汤圆 | Round for reunion (团圆); the dish of the Lantern Festival. |
Taboos, gently
New Year taboos (禁忌) are mostly about not "cancelling out" the good luck of a fresh start. Few families keep all of them, and none should override health or common sense: if you need medicine, take it; if the kitchen needs cleaning, a quick wipe will not undo your year. These are the ones you are most likely to hear about, mostly for New Year's Day:
- No sweeping or taking out the rubbish on day one, so you do not sweep the luck out the door. It goes out on day five or six.
- No washing your hair on day one: 发 (hair) sounds like the 发 of 发财, prosperity.
- No scissors, knives or needles, which are said to "cut" your luck. Prep the food the day before.
- Mind your words. Avoid talk of death, illness and money troubles, and the number four (四 sounds like 死, death). If a dish breaks, say 碎碎平安: "shattered" (碎) sounds like "year after year" (岁), so it becomes "peace every year".
- No lending or borrowing money, and settle debts before New Year if you can.
- Avoid arguments and tears, which are said to set the tone for the whole year.
- Gifts to skip: clocks (送钟 sounds like "attending a deathbed", 送终), and anything in sets of four.
Red envelopes, in short
Red envelopes (红包, hóngbāo; 利是, lai see, in Cantonese) are the heart of the holiday for children. The basics: married couples and elders give to children and unmarried younger relatives; use new, crisp bills; choose even amounts and avoid anything with a four; give and receive with both hands; and do not open it in front of the giver. Our full red envelope etiquette guide covers amounts in US dollars, workplace and wedding envelopes, and WeChat red packets.
Celebrating abroad
For the Chinese diaspora, New Year often means keeping traditions alive on a normal workday, far from grandparents. Some practical notes:
United States and Canada
New Year's Day falls on a Saturday this time, which makes a family gathering easier than usual, though the Eve (Friday) is a workday. Cities with established Chinatowns, including San Francisco, New York, Vancouver and Toronto, hold parades and festivals, often on a weekend near or after New Year's Day, so check local listings. Some school districts, New York City's among them, close for Lunar New Year; check your district calendar. Asian supermarkets get very busy in the final week, so buy dry goods and red envelopes early, and ask your bank for crisp new bills a week or two ahead. Home fireworks are restricted in many cities; organized displays and lion dances are the legal way to get the noise.
United Kingdom
London's Chinatown and the West End host large celebrations, usually on a weekend around New Year, and cities such as Manchester and Liverpool have their own. China is eight hours ahead of the UK in February, so the 8 pm reunion dinner in China is around noon in London: a good time for a video call.
Australia and New Zealand
New Year falls in summer, so celebrations move outdoors, with night markets and festivals in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney is three hours ahead of China during daylight saving time, so family in China sit down to dinner as the evening winds down in Sydney.
Southeast Asia
Singapore and Malaysia give public holidays for the first days of the New Year, and so does Indonesia (where it is called Imlek). Banks issue fresh notes ahead of the holiday. Look out for customs that grew up in the region: tossing yusheng (捞生), pineapple tarts (pineapple, 黄梨 or 旺来, sounds like "luck arrives" in Hokkien), 肉干 (bak kwa) and Chap Goh Mei on the fifteenth night. In Malaysia many families hold open houses.
Calling home
Reunion dinner at 8 pm in Beijing is 7 am on the US East Coast and 4 am on the West Coast (standard time), noon in London, and 11 pm in Sydney. Many families abroad hold their own dinner on the Eve and call relatives in Asia on the morning of New Year's Day instead.
Chinese New Year dates, 2027–2030
| Year | Sign | New Year's Day | Lantern Festival |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027丁未 羊年 | Fire Goat | Sat, Feb 62027 · 2027-02-06 | Sat, Feb 202027 |
| 2028戊申 猴年 | Earth Monkey | Wed, Jan 262028 · 2028-01-26 | Wed, Feb 92028 |
| 2029己酉 鸡年 | Earth Rooster | Tue, Feb 132029 · 2029-02-13 | Tue, Feb 272029 |
| 2030庚戌 狗年 | Metal Dog | Sun, Feb 32030 · 2030-02-03 | Sun, Feb 172030 |
Dates follow the traditional calendar as published in China. More years on the Lunar New Year and Lantern Festival pages.
Planning something for the new year?
Many families like to start the year with a well-chosen date for a wedding, a move or a business opening. Our auspicious dates pages list good days from the Chinese almanac, month by month, and the date finder checks any single day.
Bring it home 备齐
For elders to give children and unmarried relatives. Crisp new bills, never amounts with a 4.
Paired verses for the door frame; hang 福 upside down so luck "arrives" (倒 sounds like 到).
2027 is 丁未, the Fire Goat. Red and gold goat pieces for the table or window.
Eight-compartment candy box for guests: candied lotus, melon seeds, sweets.
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Common questions
When is Chinese New Year 2027?
Chinese New Year 2027 is on Saturday, February 6, 2027. New Year's Eve, with the reunion dinner, is the evening before: Friday, February 5, 2027. The celebrations traditionally last 15 days, until the Lantern Festival on Saturday, February 20, 2027.
What animal is 2027?
2027 is the Year of the Goat (羊, yáng), sometimes translated as Sheep or Ram. More precisely it is a 丁未 year, the Fire Goat. It begins on February 6, 2027, so anyone born in January or early February 2027 (before February 6) belongs to the previous sign, the Fire Horse.
What is the Fire Goat?
The Chinese calendar pairs one of ten "heavenly stems" with one of twelve "earthly branches", giving a 60-year cycle. 丁 (dīng) is the yin Fire stem and 未 (wèi) is the Goat branch, so 丁未 is the Fire Goat. It comes around once every 60 years: the last Fire Goat year was 1967, the next is 2087.
Is 2027 a lucky year?
Tradition does not call a whole year lucky or unlucky for everyone. The Goat is linked with gentleness, peace and good omens (羊 was used for 祥, "auspicious", in old inscriptions). Two folk notes apply to 2027: it is the "year of your own sign" (本命年) for people born in Goat years, who traditionally wear red; and this Goat year contains no Start of Spring solar term (立春), a "year without spring" that some older relatives avoid for weddings. Most people simply treat it as a normal year.
How long does Chinese New Year last?
Traditionally 15 days, from New Year's Day (初一) to the Lantern Festival (十五). In 2027 that is February 6 to February 20. Preparations start weeks earlier with Laba and Little New Year. Official time off is shorter and set by each government: about a week in mainland China and Taiwan, and two or three days in places such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
What should you not do on Chinese New Year?
On New Year's Day, traditional families avoid sweeping or taking out rubbish (it sweeps away luck), washing hair (发, hair, sounds like "prosper"), using scissors and knives, breaking dishes, arguing, and saying words like "death" or the number four. Few families keep every rule; pick the ones that matter to your elders.
Is Chinese New Year 2027 on the same day in the US, UK, Canada and Australia?
Yes. Chinese communities everywhere follow the traditional calendar, which is calculated for China's time zone, so February 6, 2027 is New Year's Day in New York, London, Toronto and Sydney alike. Vietnamese and Korean calendars use their own time zones and occasionally land a day apart in other years.
What do you say on Chinese New Year?
新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè, "Happy New Year") works everywhere. 恭喜发财 (Gōngxǐ fācái in Mandarin, "Gung hei fat choi" in Cantonese) wishes someone prosperity. 身体健康 (good health) and 万事如意 (may everything go as you wish) are good for elders.