In the Chinese zodiac, 2007 is the Year of the Pig, with Fire as its element. The Fire Pig year began on Sunday, February 18, 2007 and ended on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. People born between those dates are Fire Pigs. The new year came late, so anyone born from January 1 to February 17, 2007 is a Fire Dog.
When did the Year of the Pig start and end in 2007?
| Birthday | Sign |
|---|---|
| January 1 to February 17, 2007 | Fire Dog |
| February 18, 2007 to February 6, 2008 | Fire Pig |
| February 7, 2008 and later | Earth Rat |
The Pig year had 12 lunar months and lasted 354 days. It began 48 days into 2007 and continued for 37 days of 2008.
Dog or Pig: the first seven weeks
February 18 is two days short of the latest date on which Lunar New Year can fall. The Dog year before it had a leap month and stretched to 385 days, and that is what delayed the Pig; the explanation is in 2006 in the Chinese zodiac.
About 13 percent of the people born in 2007 arrived before the new year and are Dogs.
- Born on January 15, 2007? You are a Dog. The sign is described in the Dog in the Chinese zodiac.
- Born on February 17, 2007? A Dog, on the last day of its year.
- Born on February 18, 2007? You are a Pig, born on Lunar New Year's Day.
- Born on January 30, 2008? A Pig as well. The Rat year began on February 7.
The element is the same on both sides of the line. 2006 and 2007 are the two Fire years, so the question for anyone born in early 2007 is only which animal, never which element.
Enter a birthday below to see the answer for that date. The same tool is on the Birthday Profile page.
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What does Fire Pig mean?
The Pig is traditionally said to be generous, easygoing and sincere. National Museums Liverpool calls the sign noble and considerate, and notes that the pig is a symbol of luck and wealth in Chinese culture. Fire is the element linked with passion, energy and leadership. In the tradition, a Fire Pig is a warm-hearted sign in a year of an energetic element. Take it as folklore: a symbol of wealth is a symbol, not a promise, and none of it describes a real person.
In the old system of year names, 2007 is ding-hai. Ding is the fourth of the ten "heavenly stems," and hai is the last of the 12 "earthly branches," the one that goes with the Pig. Our page about Chinese New Year animals explains how the two series make a cycle of 60. Every Pig year and the five element types are in the Pig in the Chinese zodiac.
The end of a round
The Pig is the twelfth animal, so its year closes a round of the zodiac. The round that ended on February 6, 2008 had begun with the Rat year of 1996, and the next day a new one started with the Rat again.
That change was a complete one. The Rat year of 2008 is an Earth year, so both the animal and the element turned over on February 7, 2008.
When was the last Fire Pig year, and when is the next?
| Fire Pig year | First day | Last day |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | January 22, 1947 | February 9, 1948 |
| 2007 | February 18, 2007 | February 6, 2008 |
| 2067 | February 14, 2067 | February 2, 2068 |
The same animal and element meet every 60 years. The dates can be far apart: the 1947 Fire Pig year started on January 22, nearly four weeks earlier in the calendar than the 2007 one.
How old are people born in 2007, and when is their next Pig year?
People born in 2007 turn 20 in 2027. The Pig has come around once in their lives, in 2019. Its next year begins on January 23, 2031 and ends on February 10, 2032.
A person's own zodiac year is called the ben ming nian. In folk belief it is a hurdle and not a lucky year, and people wear red while it lasts.
The years on either side
- 2006 was a Fire Dog year: January 29, 2006 to February 17, 2007.
- 2008 was an Earth Rat year: February 7, 2008 to January 25, 2009.