2014 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Wood Horse
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Horse 马
Element
Yang Wood
Stem-branch
甲午 Jia-Wu
Zodiac year
Jan 31, 2014 to Feb 18, 2015
The 2014 Year of the Yang Wood Horse (甲午) began on Friday, January 31, 2014, and lasted until February 18, 2015. Births from January 1 to January 30, 2014, the first 30 days of 2014, belonged to the Water Snake year. The lunar year has a leap 9th month, starting Oct 24, 2014, so it runs 384 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 4, 2014 and Feb 4, 2015), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 2014 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 06:03 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 30, 2014 | Water Snake | Water Snake |
| Jan 31 to Feb 4, 2014, before 06:03 | Wood Horse | Water Snake |
| Feb 4, 2014, from 06:03, to Dec 31 | Wood Horse | Wood Horse |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2014 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Wood Horse (2014)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Wood Horse (2014)
Chinese New Year 2014: 2014-01-31. Lichun 2014: 2014-02-04 06:03 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 2014 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 2014 was 06:03 Beijing time on February 4, 2014. In New York that was 17:03 on February 3, 2014, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 17:03 is a Wood Horse under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2014 | 06:03 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2014 | 06:03 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2014 | 06:03 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2014 | 06:03 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2014 | 07:03 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2014 | 07:03 |
| London | Feb 3, 2014(day before) | 22:03 |
| New York | Feb 3, 2014(day before) | 17:03 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 2014(day before) | 14:03 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2014 | 09:03 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2014, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2014 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Jan 31, 2014 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 14, 2014 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 2014 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 2, 2014 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 2, 2014 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 10, 2014 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 8, 2014 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 2, 2014 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 2014 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 27, 2015 |
The Horse and 甲午 in the calendar
The Horse is the Earthly Branch 午 (Wu); it also marks the double hour from 11 am to 1 pm, the direction South and the fixed element Fire. 2014's own element, Wood, comes from the Heavenly Stem 甲. All Years of the Horse.
甲午 is the 31st year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1954 and 2074 (see the Year of the Horse table).
Lunar months of the 2014 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 9th month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Jan 31, 2014 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Mar 1, 2014 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Mar 31, 2014 | 29 |
| 4th month | Apr 29, 2014 | 30 |
| 5th month | May 29, 2014 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jun 27, 2014 | 30 |
| 7th month | Jul 27, 2014 | 29 |
| 8th month | Aug 25, 2014 | 30 |
| 9th month | Sep 24, 2014 | 30 |
| Leap 9th month | Oct 24, 2014 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 22, 2014 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 22, 2014 | 29 |
| 12th month | Jan 20, 2015 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 2014
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 | 18:24 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 11:51 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 06:03 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 01:59 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 00:02 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 00:57 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 04:46 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 11:55 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 21:59 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 10:59 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 02:03 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 18:51 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 12:14 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 05:41 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 22:02 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 12:45 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 01:01 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 10:29 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 16:47 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 19:57 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 20:06 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 17:38 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 13:04 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 07:03 |
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 2014?
The Year of the Horse began on January 31, 2014. Anyone born from January 1 to January 30, 2014 belongs to the previous year, the Water Snake (癸巳); anyone born on or after January 31, 2014 is a Wood Horse. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Horse year began at 06:03 China Standard Time on February 4, 2014 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2014 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Monday, September 8, 2014. The next one, on September 27, 2015, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2014 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 9th month followed the regular 9th month, starting October 24, 2014 and lasting 29 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 384 days.
What element is 2014 in the Chinese zodiac?
2014 is a Yang Wood year: its Heavenly Stem 甲 (Jia) carries Wood, and its Earthly Branch 午 (Wu) is the Horse. Together they make 甲午, the 31st year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2014?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from January 31, 2014 until Lichun (February 4, 2014 at 06:03) are a Wood Horse under the popular New Year rule but a Water Snake 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.