2006 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Dog
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Dog 狗
Element
Yang Fire
Stem-branch
丙戌 Bing-Xu
Zodiac year
Jan 29, 2006 to Feb 17, 2007
The 2006 Year of the Yang Fire Dog (丙戌) began on Sunday, January 29, 2006, and lasted until February 17, 2007. Births from January 1 to January 28, 2006, the first 28 days of 2006, belonged to the Wood Rooster year. The lunar year has a leap 7th month, starting Aug 24, 2006, so it runs 385 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 4, 2006 and Feb 4, 2007), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 2006 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 07:27 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 28, 2006 | Wood Rooster | Wood Rooster |
| Jan 29 to Feb 4, 2006, before 07:27 | Fire Dog | Wood Rooster |
| Feb 4, 2006, from 07:27, to Dec 31 | Fire Dog | Fire Dog |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2006 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Dog (2006)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Dog (2006)
Chinese New Year 2006: 2006-01-29. Lichun 2006: 2006-02-04 07:27 Beijing time. The New Year rule compares your birth date with the New Year date; the Lichun rule compares the exact moment, converted from your local time.
Lichun 2006 in other time zones
The same moment in local time. Under the Lichun rule, a birth at or after this local time takes the new animal.
Lichun 2006 was 07:27 Beijing time on February 4, 2006. In New York that was 18:27 on February 3, 2006, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 18:27 is a Fire Dog under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2006 | 07:27 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2006 | 07:27 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2006 | 07:27 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2006 | 07:27 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2006 | 08:27 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2006 | 08:27 |
| London | Feb 3, 2006(day before) | 23:27 |
| New York | Feb 3, 2006(day before) | 18:27 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 2006(day before) | 15:27 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2006 | 10:27 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2006, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2006 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Jan 29, 2006 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 12, 2006 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 2006 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | May 31, 2006 |
| Qixi Festival | Jul 31, 2006 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 8, 2006 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Oct 6, 2006 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 30, 2006 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 2006 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 26, 2007 |
The Dog and 丙戌 in the calendar
The Dog is the Earthly Branch 戌 (Xu); it also marks the double hour from 7 pm to 9 pm, the direction West-northwest and the fixed element Earth. 2006's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丙. All Years of the Dog.
丙戌 is the 23rd year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1946 and 2066 (see the Year of the Dog table).
Lunar months of the 2006 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 7th month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Jan 29, 2006 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Feb 28, 2006 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Mar 29, 2006 | 30 |
| 4th month | Apr 28, 2006 | 29 |
| 5th month | May 27, 2006 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jun 26, 2006 | 29 |
| 7th month | Jul 25, 2006 | 30 |
| Leap 7th month | Aug 24, 2006 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 22, 2006 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 22, 2006 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 21, 2006 | 29 |
| 11th month | Dec 20, 2006 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 19, 2007 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 2006
Beijing time. The 12 terms marked with a month begin the solar months that the Four Pillars use; Lichun opens the year. What each term means.
| Solar term | Date | Time | Four Pillars month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor Cold 小寒 Xiaohan | Jan 5 | 19:46 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 13:15 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 07:27 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 03:25 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 01:28 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 02:25 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 06:15 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 13:26 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 23:30 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 12:31 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 03:36 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 20:25 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 13:51 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 07:17 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 23:40 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 14:22 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 02:39 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 12:03 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 18:21 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 21:26 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 21:34 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 19:01 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 14:26 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 08:22 |
Dates are checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; times are calculated. A dash means the term falls within minutes of midnight, where the calculated time and the Observatory's date disagree; the Observatory's date is shown.
FAQ
What Chinese zodiac sign is someone born in January 2006?
The Year of the Dog began on January 29, 2006. Anyone born from January 1 to January 28, 2006 belongs to the previous year, the Wood Rooster (乙酉); anyone born on or after January 29, 2006 is a Fire Dog. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Dog year began at 07:27 China Standard Time on February 4, 2006 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2006 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Friday, October 6, 2006. The next one, on September 25, 2007, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2006 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 7th month followed the regular 7th month, starting August 24, 2006 and lasting 29 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 385 days.
What element is 2006 in the Chinese zodiac?
2006 is a Yang Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丙 (Bing) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 戌 (Xu) is the Dog. Together they make 丙戌, the 23rd year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2006?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from January 29, 2006 until Lichun (February 4, 2006 at 07:27) are a Fire Dog under the popular New Year rule but a Wood Rooster under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule.
Nearby years
Dates are calculated with astronomical algorithms in China Standard Time (UTC+8) and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table. Zodiac information describes the traditional calendar and is not a prediction.