Year of the Goat 2027

The Year of the Goat begins on Saturday, February 6, 2027, the day of Chinese New Year, and ends on Tuesday, January 25, 2028. In the traditional 60-year cycle it is a Fire Goat year. The Goat, also translated as Sheep or Ram, is the eighth of the 12 zodiac animals and is traditionally linked with gentleness, creativity and care for others.

When does the Year of the Goat start and end?

The zodiac year does not follow the January-to-December calendar. It starts on the first day of the first month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which always falls on a new moon between January 21 and February 20. In 2027 that day is February 6, according to the calendar tables published by the Hong Kong Observatory.

One detail to know if you have family or friends in South Korea: the new moon arrives at 11:56 p.m. Beijing time on February 6, which is already past midnight in Seoul. The calendar data of the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute therefore puts Seollal, the Korean new year, on Sunday, February 7, 2027, one day later. The day-by-day schedule, public holidays and dates for other years are on our Chinese New Year 2027 calendar page.

Why is 2027 a Fire Goat year?

Each year in the traditional calendar has a two-part name. The first part is one of ten "heavenly stems," and the second is one of 12 "earthly branches." The branches are the ones matched with the familiar animals. Stems and branches advance together, one step a year, and the same pair returns only once every 60 years.

The stems are also grouped under five elements, called wuxing (five phases): Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each element covers two stems in a row, one yang and one yin.

The year that starts on February 6, 2027 is called ding-wei (丁未). Ding is the fourth stem and belongs to yin Fire; wei is the eighth branch, the Goat. Put together, that makes 2027 a Fire Goat year. The previous Fire Goat year began on February 9, 1967, and the next one begins in 2087.

In the tradition, Fire is associated with warmth, energy and visibility, and the Goat with a quiet, cooperative temperament. Writers of yearly almanacs like to describe a Fire Goat year as a gentle sign with extra spark. Treat that as a piece of folklore to enjoy rather than a forecast: the cycle is a way of naming years, and nothing in it predicts what a particular year holds.

Who is born in the Year of the Goat?

Anyone born between February 6, 2027 and January 25, 2028 is a Fire Goat. Earlier Goat years, with their exact start and end dates, are:

The start dates matter. A baby born on February 1, 2027 arrives before the new year and is a Horse, not a Goat. Someone born on January 20, 1992 is still a Metal Goat, because the Monkey year did not begin until February 4.

To check a January or February birthday without counting days, enter the date below (the same tool lives on the Birthday Profile page). It reads the Lunar New Year date for that year and shows the animal and element.

There is more on each of the five Goat types and the traits linked with them in our guide to the Goat in the Chinese zodiac.

What does the Goat traditionally stand for?

In Chinese culture the goat and the sheep are well-liked animals. The character for the sign, 羊, appears inside the written characters for "beautiful," "good" and "auspicious."

People born in a Goat year are traditionally said to be calm, kind and creative, with a strong sense of fairness and a preference for harmony over conflict. The less flattering side of the same portrait is indecision and a tendency to worry.

These are character sketches handed down through almanacs and family talk, in the same spirit as Western star signs. They are fun to compare with the people you know, and they say nothing reliable about any one person.

Is it the Year of the Goat, the Sheep or the Ram?

All three names are in use, and none of them is wrong. The Chinese name of the sign is yang (羊), a word that covers goats and sheep alike. To say which one you mean in Chinese you add a word: shanyang ("mountain yang") is a goat and mianyang ("cotton yang") is a sheep. The zodiac uses plain yang, so translators have to choose.

Scholars who looked at the question when the last Goat year arrived in 2015 pointed out that pictures of the sign vary by region, with sheep more common in northern China and goats in the south. Sinologist Victor Mair of the University of Pennsylvania wrote that he prefers the technical word "ovicaprid," which covers both animals, whenever the text does not say which one is meant.

We use Goat on this site because it is the form the Hong Kong Observatory uses in its English calendar. If you are writing a card, Goat, Sheep and Ram are all fine. The full story is in Year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram?

How is the new year celebrated?

Chinese New Year, known in China as Chunjie (Spring Festival), is a family holiday first. UNESCO added it to its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2024. Customs differ between regions and from one family to the next, but several are shared widely:

• Cleaning and decorating before the day. Homes are cleaned ahead of the holiday, then dressed with red paper couplets, lanterns and the character fu ("good fortune"). See Chinese New Year decorations.
• The reunion dinner. On New Year's Eve, families gather for the most important meal of the year. Many dishes are chosen because their names sound like good wishes: fish for abundance, sticky rice cake for rising higher each year. See Chinese New Year food.
• Red envelopes. Elders give children and younger relatives money in red envelopes, called hongbao in Mandarin and lai see in Cantonese. See red envelope etiquette.
• New clothes and visits. People wear new clothes, often red, and call on older relatives first. See what to wear and what to say.
• Things to avoid on day one. Sweeping, sharp tools and unlucky words are traditionally set aside so that good luck is not swept or cut away. See Chinese New Year superstitions.
• The Lantern Festival. On the 15th day, February 20, 2027, families eat sweet rice dumplings, carry lanterns and solve riddles written on them.

If you are invited to someone's home, our guide to Chinese New Year gifts covers what guests usually bring.

Is it Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year?

Chinese New Year is the Chinese festival. Lunar New Year is the wider name used in the United States for the new year celebrations that fall on the same new moon, including Tết in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea. Each has its own food, dress and customs.

If you know which holiday someone celebrates, use its name. If you are writing to a mixed group, such as an office or a class, "Happy Lunar New Year" is the safe choice. More on the names is in Lunar New Year vs Chinese New Year.

Where can you celebrate in the US and the UK?

In 2027 the new year lands on a Saturday, which makes it easy to join a public celebration. Chinatowns in many American cities hold parades with lion and dragon dances, usually on the weekends around the date. California lists Lunar New Year as a state holiday, and New York State has made it a public school holiday.

In the UK, London's celebrations are organized by the London Chinatown Chinese Association and are often described as the largest outside Asia: a parade through the West End, stage shows in Trafalgar Square and food stalls across Chinatown, free to attend. Dates and programs for 2027 are usually announced in January, so check the organizers' pages before you travel.

For the other 11 signs and the story behind their order, see Chinese New Year animals, or browse the rest of our astrology section.