2012 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Dragon
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Dragon 龙
Element
Yang Water
Stem-branch
壬辰 Ren-Chen
Zodiac year
Jan 23, 2012 to Feb 9, 2013
The 2012 Year of the Yang Water Dragon (壬辰) began on Monday, January 23, 2012, and lasted until February 9, 2013. Births from January 1 to January 22, 2012, the first 22 days of 2012, belonged to the Metal Rabbit year. Its Chinese New Year, Jan 23, is among the earliest possible (the earliest from 1900 to 2100 is Jan 21). The lunar year has a leap 4th month, starting May 21, 2012, so it runs 384 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 4, 2012 and Feb 4, 2013), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 2012 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 18:22 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 22, 2012 | Metal Rabbit | Metal Rabbit |
| Jan 23 to Feb 4, 2012, before 18:22 | Water Dragon | Metal Rabbit |
| Feb 4, 2012, from 18:22, to Dec 31 | Water Dragon | Water Dragon |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2012 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Water Dragon (2012)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Metal Rabbit (2011)
Chinese New Year 2012: 2012-01-23. Lichun 2012: 2012-02-04 18:22 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 2012 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 2012 was 18:22 Beijing time on February 4, 2012. In New York that was 05:22 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2012 | 18:22 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2012 | 18:22 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2012 | 18:22 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2012 | 18:22 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2012 | 19:22 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2012 | 19:22 |
| London | Feb 4, 2012 | 10:22 |
| New York | Feb 4, 2012 | 05:22 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 2012 | 02:22 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2012 | 21:22 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2012, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2012 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Jan 23, 2012 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 6, 2012 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 2012 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 23, 2012 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 23, 2012 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 31, 2012 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 30, 2012 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 23, 2012 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 21, 2012 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 19, 2013 |
The Dragon and 壬辰 in the calendar
The Dragon is the Earthly Branch 辰 (Chen); it also marks the double hour from 7 am to 9 am, the direction East-southeast and the fixed element Earth. 2012's own element, Water, comes from the Heavenly Stem 壬. All Years of the Dragon.
壬辰 is the 29th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1952 and 2072 (see the Year of the Dragon table).
Lunar months of the 2012 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 4th month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Jan 23, 2012 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Feb 22, 2012 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Mar 22, 2012 | 30 |
| 4th month | Apr 21, 2012 | 30 |
| Leap 4th month | May 21, 2012 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 19, 2012 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 19, 2012 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 17, 2012 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 16, 2012 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 15, 2012 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 14, 2012 | 29 |
| 11th month | Dec 13, 2012 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 12, 2013 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 2012
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 6 | 06:43 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 00:09 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 18:22 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 14:17 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 12:21 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 13:14 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 17:05 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 00:12 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 10:19 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 20 | 23:15 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 14:25 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 07:08 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 00:40 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 22 | 18:00 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 10:30 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 01:06 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 13:29 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 22 | 22:48 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 05:11 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 08:13 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 08:25 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 05:50 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 01:18 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 21 | 19:11 |
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 2012?
The Year of the Dragon began on January 23, 2012. Anyone born from January 1 to January 22, 2012 belongs to the previous year, the Metal Rabbit (辛卯); anyone born on or after January 23, 2012 is a Water Dragon. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Dragon year began at 18:22 China Standard Time on February 4, 2012 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2012 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Sunday, September 30, 2012. The next one, on September 19, 2013, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2012 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 4th month followed the regular 4th month, starting May 21, 2012 and lasting 29 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 384 days.
What element is 2012 in the Chinese zodiac?
2012 is a Yang Water year: its Heavenly Stem 壬 (Ren) carries Water, and its Earthly Branch 辰 (Chen) is the Dragon. Together they make 壬辰, the 29th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2012?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from January 23, 2012 until Lichun (February 4, 2012 at 18:22) are a Water Dragon under the popular New Year rule but a Metal Rabbit 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.