Chinese New Year countdown
When is Chinese New Year 2027? Saturday, 6 February
Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) 2027 is on Saturday, 6 February. The Horse hands over to the Fire Goat that night. The celebration runs 15 days, all the way to the Lantern Festival on 20 February. Korea's Seollal comes a day later, on Sunday 7 February. The countdown on this page runs on your own clock.
Chinese New Year 2027
- Fri, Feb 5Lunar New Year's EveReunion dinner, the biggest family meal of the year, and the last night of the Horse.
- Sat, Feb 6Chinese New Year / TếtThe Year of the Goat begins in China and Vietnam. Red envelopes, fireworks and visits to family.
- Sun, Feb 7Seollal (Korea)Korea's Lunar New Year comes a day later. The new moon arrives at 12:56 AM in Seoul, just past midnight.
- Sat, Feb 20Lantern FestivalDay 15, the last day of the celebration, under the first full moon of the lunar year.
Who celebrates Lunar New Year, and how?
Same new moon, very different tables. This is how the first days go in the places where it's a major holiday.
- China: Reunion dinner on the Eve, dumplings in the north and nian gao (sticky rice cake) in the south, red paper couplets on the door, and red envelopes of money for children. Hundreds of millions travel home in the weeks before, the Chunyun travel rush.
- Vietnam (Tết): Bánh chưng (square sticky rice cakes), peach or apricot blossoms in the house, and lì xì, lucky money in red envelopes.
- South Korea (Seollal): Tteokguk (rice cake soup), which counts as eating a year older, and sebae, a deep bow to elders who hand out money in return.
- Singapore and Malaysia: Lo hei, where the whole table tosses a raw fish salad high with chopsticks for luck. The higher the toss, the better the year.
- Everywhere: Lion and dragon dances, a clean house before the day (and no sweeping on the day, so the luck stays in), and lanterns plus tangyuan (sweet rice balls) on day 15.
Chinese New Year vs Lunar New Year
Usually the same date, not always the same holiday. Both start on the new moon that opens the first month of the lunar calendar. "Chinese New Year" is China's own Spring Festival. "Lunar New Year" is the wider name for everyone who starts the year on that moon.
Each country counts the day in its own time zone. In 2027 the new moon lands at 11:56 PM in Beijing and 12:56 AM in Seoul, so China and Vietnam celebrate on 6 February and Korea on 7 February.
Vietnam's Tết and Korea's Seollal aren't local versions of the Chinese holiday. They have their own names, food and rituals. If you're wishing a mixed office or a mixed neighbourhood, "Happy Lunar New Year" covers everyone.
Why the date moves every year
Christmas and 1 January sit on the solar calendar. Chinese New Year doesn't. It usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, which puts it somewhere between 21 January and 20 February.
In 2026 it was 17 February, the Year of the Horse. In 2027 it comes 11 days earlier, on 6 February. A leap month gets added every few years to pull it back into line, the same trick the Hindu calendar uses for Diwali.
Chinese New Year FAQ
When is Chinese New Year 2027?
Chinese New Year 2027 is Saturday, 6 February, the start of the Year of the Goat (also called Sheep). The Chinese calendar follows both the moon and the sun, so the date moves every year, somewhere between 21 January and 20 February.
When is Lunar New Year 2027?
Saturday, 6 February 2027 in China and Vietnam. Korea's Seollal is a day later, on Sunday, 7 February. The new moon arrives at 11:56 PM in Beijing but 12:56 AM in Seoul, so the two calendars start the month on different days.
When is Seollal 2027?
Sunday, 7 February 2027. South Korea's holiday runs from Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February. The Tuesday is added because Seollal itself falls on a Sunday.
What's the difference between Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year?
Usually the same date, not always the same holiday. Chinese New Year is China's Spring Festival. Lunar New Year is the wider name, because Vietnam's Tết and Korea's Seollal start the year on the same new moon with their own names, food and customs. If you mean everyone celebrating, say Lunar New Year.
Who celebrates Lunar New Year?
China, Vietnam (Tết), South Korea (Seollal), Singapore and Malaysia treat it as a major holiday. Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean communities celebrate it around the world, in cities such as San Francisco, Sydney and Kolkata.
Does Japan celebrate Lunar New Year?
Not nationally. Japan moved its New Year to 1 January in 1873, when it adopted the Gregorian calendar, and Shōgatsu is now its big holiday. Chinese communities in Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki still celebrate the lunar date.
How long does Chinese New Year last?
The traditional celebration runs 15 days, from New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival on 20 February 2027. Time off work is shorter. China gave nine days for Spring Festival in 2026, and Singapore gives two public holidays, plus a Monday in lieu in 2027.
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2027?
2027 is the Year of the Goat, the Fire Goat in the five-element cycle (Goat is also translated as Sheep or Ram). It follows the Year of the Horse (2026). The 12-animal cycle repeats every 12 years.
How do you say "Happy New Year" in Chinese?
In Mandarin, 新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè), which means "happy new year". For wealth and luck, say 恭喜发财: Gōngxǐ fācái in Mandarin, Gong Hei Fat Choy in Cantonese.
What is Vietnamese New Year called?
Tết, short for Tết Nguyên Đán. In 2027 it falls on Saturday, 6 February, the same day as Chinese New Year. Now and then the two are a day apart, because Vietnam calculates the new moon on its own time zone.