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Chinese New Year 2027
On Saturday, February 6, 2027, more than a billion people welcome the Year of the Fire Goat. Here is what happens on each day, what to eat, what to say, and how to join in wherever you live.
- New Year's Day
- February 6, 2027 · Saturday
- New Year's Eve
- February 5, 2027 · Friday
- Lantern Festival (last day)
- February 20, 2027 · Saturday
- Zodiac year
- Fire Goat (丁未 dīng wèi)
- Next Chinese New Year
- January 26, 2028
From Laba to the Lantern Festival: day by day
Chinese New Year isn't one day. Preparations start weeks before, and the celebration runs for fifteen days until the first full moon.
- January 15, 2027Friday腊月初八
Laba Festival 腊八节
A sweet porridge of grains, beans and nuts marks the unofficial start of the New Year season. Many families also pickle garlic in vinegar for New Year dumplings.
- January 30, 2027Saturday腊月廿三 / 廿四
Little New Year 小年
Families clean the house from top to bottom to sweep out the old year and send the Kitchen God off to heaven with something sweet. (Northern China: January 30; southern China: January 31.)
- February 5, 2027Friday腊月廿九
New Year's Eve 除夕
The most important night: the reunion dinner. People travel home from all over the country, eat together, watch the CCTV Spring Festival Gala and stay up past midnight to “guard the year” (守岁 shǒu suì).
- February 6, 2027Saturday正月初一
New Year's Day 春节
Put on new clothes, wish everyone a happy new year, and give red envelopes to children. Many families avoid sweeping or taking out the trash today so they don't throw away the new year's luck.
- February 7, 2027Sunday正月初二
Visiting the in-laws 回娘家
Married daughters traditionally return to their parents' home with their husbands and children, bringing gifts.
- February 8, 2027Monday正月初三
Day of the Red Dog 赤狗日
By folk custom an easy-to-quarrel day, so many people stay home and rest instead of visiting.
- February 10, 2027Wednesday正月初五
Breaking Five · Welcoming the God of Wealth 破五 · 迎财神
Many old restrictions end today. Businesses set off firecrackers to welcome the God of Wealth, and in the north people eat dumplings again.
- February 12, 2027Friday正月初七
Everyone's Birthday 人日
In legend, the goddess Nüwa made humans on the seventh day, so today is “everyone's birthday”. In Malaysia and Singapore it's the day for tossing yusheng salad.
- February 20, 2027Saturday正月十五
Lantern Festival 元宵节
The first full moon of the year closes the celebrations: lanterns, riddles written on lanterns, lion dances and sweet rice balls (tangyuan) that stand for family togetherness.
Good to know: the last lunar month of 2026 has only 29 days, so in 2027 New Year's Eve is the 29th of the twelfth month. There's no “30th” this year, but it's still called 除夕 (chú xī), New Year's Eve.
Traditions you'll see
Spring couplets and the upside-down 福
Red paper strips with matching lines of poetry go on either side of the door. The character 福 (fú, good fortune) is often hung upside down, because “fortune is upside down” (福倒了) sounds like “fortune has arrived” (福到了).
The reunion dinner
Dinner on New Year's Eve is the meal no one misses. Every dish carries a wish: fish for abundance, dumplings for wealth, rice cake for “higher every year”.
Red envelopes
Red envelopes (红包 hóng bāo) with crisp new banknotes go from married adults to children and unmarried younger relatives. Today many are sent digitally on WeChat and Alipay.
Firecrackers and fireworks
Legend says the monster Nian (年) feared noise and the color red. Many big cities now limit fireworks, so check local rules; red decorations do the job too.
New Year visits
In the first days of the year people visit relatives, then friends and colleagues, bringing fruit, tea or snacks and exchanging greetings.
Lion and dragon dances
Dancers bring the lion or dragon to shops and streets to chase away bad luck. Chinatowns around the world hold parades, often on the weekend after New Year.
Red envelope etiquette
If you're giving 红包 for the first time, these simple rules keep you on the right side of tradition.
- Use new, crisp bills, and give even amounts. Numbers with 8 (sounds like “prosper”) and 6 (“smooth”) are popular.
- Avoid amounts with 4: it sounds like the word for death.
- Give and receive with both hands, and don't open the envelope in front of the giver.
- Traditionally, married people give to children and unmarried younger relatives. At work, managers often give small envelopes to their team.
- Digital red envelopes on WeChat or Alipay count too, and group “red envelope grabs” are a game in themselves.
Lucky foods and what they mean
Most New Year dishes are puns. The name of the food sounds like a wish.
- 饺子jiǎo ziDumplings
Shaped like old silver ingots, they stand for wealth. Some families hide a coin in one; whoever finds it has a lucky year.
- 鱼yúFish
鱼 (yú) sounds like 余, surplus: 年年有余, “abundance every year”. Leave a little uneaten so the surplus carries over.
- 年糕nián gāoNew Year rice cake
年糕 sounds like “higher every year”: a better job, better grades, taller children.
- 汤圆tāng yuánSweet rice balls
Round and eaten together, they mean family reunion. The essential dish at the Lantern Festival.
- 春卷chūn juǎnSpring rolls
Golden and bar-shaped when fried, they stand for gold bars and a prosperous spring.
- 长寿面cháng shòu miànLongevity noodles
Extra-long noodles for a long life. Don't cut them!
- 橘子jú ziMandarin oranges
Their golden color means wealth, and 橘 (jú) sounds like 吉 (jí), luck. Bring them in pairs when visiting.
- 八宝饭bā bǎo fànEight-treasure rice
Sweet sticky rice with eight kinds of fruit and nuts. Eight is the luckiest number.
Folk taboos (for fun, not fear)
Many families keep a few of these. Nobody expects visitors to know them all, but knowing them is a nice touch.
- No sweeping or taking out the trash on New Year's Day, so you don't sweep away good luck.
- If something breaks, say 岁岁平安 (suì suì píng ān), “peace every year”. 碎 (broken) sounds like 岁 (year).
- Don't give clocks (送钟 sounds like “attending a funeral”), and don't split a pear (分梨 sounds like “separation”).
- Avoid words about death, illness or bad luck, and avoid the number 4.
- Some people avoid haircuts during the first lunar month, so barbers are busiest just before New Year.
- Wear red or bright colors. All-black or all-white outfits are associated with mourning.
2027: the Year of the Fire Goat
2027 is a 丁未 (dīng wèi) year: the heavenly stem 丁 is yin fire and the earthly branch 未 is the Goat, so it's called the Fire Goat year. The last Fire Goat year was 1967. The Goat (also translated Sheep or Ram) stands for gentleness, creativity and peace.
Celebrating outside China
- Look up your local Chinatown's parade or lion dance; many are held on the weekend after New Year.
- Video-call Chinese friends on New Year's Eve and greet them in Chinese. The greetings page has audio so you can practice.
- Bring a gift when visiting: fruit (oranges in pairs), tea, or a box of sweets. Avoid sets of four.
- Cook one lucky dish, such as dumplings or a whole steamed fish, and tell your guests what it means.
- Get a Chinese name for the new year. It makes a great conversation starter.
Start the year with a Chinese name
Thinking about a Chinese name? MoZhu suggests names that sound like yours and carry good meanings, with pronunciation, the meaning of each character and a usage check.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Chinese New Year 2027?
- Saturday, February 6, 2027. New Year's Eve is Friday, February 5, and the celebrations end with the Lantern Festival on Saturday, February 20.
- What animal is 2027?
- The Goat (also called Sheep or Ram), more precisely the Fire Goat, because 2027 is a 丁未 year. The Year of the Goat runs from February 6, 2027 to January 25, 2028.
- Why does the date change every year?
- Chinese New Year follows the lunisolar calendar. It falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, always between January 21 and February 20.
- How do you say Happy New Year in Chinese?
- 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè) in Mandarin. 恭喜发财 (gōng xǐ fā cái), “wishing you prosperity”, is just as common; in Cantonese it's “Gung hei fat choi”.
- Is it Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year?
- Both are used. Lunar New Year is the broader term, also celebrated in Korea (Seollal) and Vietnam (Tết). In China it's officially the Spring Festival (春节 chūn jié).
- Is Korean Seollal on the same day in 2027?
- Not this time. The new moon falls just before midnight on February 6 in Beijing but just after midnight on February 7 in Seoul, so Korea's Seollal 2027 is Sunday, February 7, one day after Chinese New Year.
- When is the next Chinese New Year after 2027?
- January 26, 2028, the start of the Year of the Earth Monkey.
Customs vary by region and family. These are widely shared traditions, offered as cultural background. · 2027