In the Chinese zodiac, 2002 is the Year of the Horse, with Water as its element. The Water Horse year began on Tuesday, February 12, 2002 and ended on Friday, January 31, 2003. People born between those dates are Water Horses. People born from January 1 to February 11, 2002 belong to the year before and are Metal Snakes.
When did the Year of the Horse start and end in 2002?
| Birthday | Sign |
|---|---|
| January 1 to February 11, 2002 | Metal Snake |
| February 12, 2002 to January 31, 2003 | Water Horse |
| February 1, 2003 and later | Water Goat |
The Horse year had 12 lunar months and lasted 354 days. It started 42 days into 2002 and took in the whole of January 2003, ending exactly at the month's close.
Is this your year?
If you are a Horse born in 2002, yes. The Year of the Horse is under way: it began on February 17, 2026 and ends on February 5, 2027. It is a Fire Horse year, and the Horses of 2002 turn 24 in it. It is the second time the sign has come round for them, after 2014.
A person's own zodiac year is called the ben ming nian. Folk belief treats it as a hurdle and not as a lucky year, and the custom that goes with it is wearing red. Once it is over, the next Horse year does not begin until February 4, 2038.
What follows on February 6, 2027 is the Goat's year; see Year of the Goat 2027.
Were you born in January or February?
Six weeks of 2002 belong to the Snake. The Snake year had been lengthened by a leap month and ran to February 11; the details are in 2001 in the Chinese zodiac.
- Born on January 25, 2002? You are a Snake.
- Born on February 11, 2002? A Snake, on the last day of its year.
- Born on February 12, 2002? You are a Horse, born on Lunar New Year's Day.
- Born on January 31, 2003? A Horse, on the very last day. Babies born the next morning are Goats; see 2003 in the Chinese zodiac.
The tool below places any birthday in its zodiac year and shows the element. It is also on the Birthday Profile page.
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What does Water Horse mean?
The Horse is traditionally said to be free-spirited, active and warm-hearted; National Museums Liverpool describes the sign as popular, enthusiastic and impatient. Water is the element linked with flexibility, intuition and communication. In the tradition, a Water Horse is a lively, sociable sign in a year of an adaptable element. It is folklore about a symbol, and it does not describe a person.
Animal and element both changed on February 12, 2002, from Metal Snake to Water Horse, because 2002 is the first of two Water years. On February 1, 2003 only the animal changed: the Goat year is a Water year as well.
In the old system of year names, 2002 is ren-wu: ren is the ninth of the ten "heavenly stems" and wu the "earthly branch" of the Horse. The 60-year cycle they form is explained on our page about Chinese New Year animals. The sign's years, traits and element types are in the Horse in the Chinese zodiac.
When was the last Water Horse year, and when is the next?
| Water Horse year | First day | Last day |
|---|---|---|
| 1942 | February 15, 1942 | February 4, 1943 |
| 2002 | February 12, 2002 | January 31, 2003 |
| 2062 | February 9, 2062 | January 28, 2063 |
The same animal and element meet once in 60 years. Each of these years begins a few days earlier in the calendar than the one before it, from February 15 to February 12 to February 9.
How old are people born in 2002?
People born in 2002 turn 25 in 2027. Those born from February 12 on reach that birthday after their Horse year has ended. The Snakes of early 2002 had their own year more recently still, from January 29, 2025 to February 16, 2026.
The years on either side
- 2001 was a Metal Snake year: January 24, 2001 to February 11, 2002.
- 2003 was a Water Goat year: February 1, 2003 to January 21, 2004.