2015 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Wood Goat
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Goat (Sheep) 羊
Element
Yin Wood
Stem-branch
乙未 Yi-Wei
Zodiac year
Feb 19, 2015 to Feb 7, 2016
The 2015 Year of the Yin Wood Goat (乙未) began on Thursday, February 19, 2015, and lasted until February 7, 2016. Births from January 1 to February 18, 2015, the first 49 days of 2015, belonged to the Wood Horse year. Its Chinese New Year, Feb 19, is among the latest possible (the latest from 1900 to 2100 is Feb 20). It has 12 lunar months and 354 days, with no leap month. It contains one Start of Spring term (Feb 4, 2016).
Which animal for a 2015 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 11:58 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 2015, before 11:58 | Wood Horse | Wood Horse |
| Feb 4, 2015, from 11:58, to Feb 18 | Wood Horse | Wood Goat |
| Feb 19 to Dec 31, 2015 | Wood Goat | Wood Goat |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2015 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Wood Horse (2014)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Wood Goat (2015)
Chinese New Year 2015: 2015-02-19. Lichun 2015: 2015-02-04 11:58 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. Your birth is within 30 minutes of Lichun, so the answer depends on the exact minute; the Lichun time is calculated to the minute.
Lichun 2015 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 2015 was 11:58 Beijing time on February 4, 2015. In New York that was 22:58 on February 3, 2015, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 22:58 is a Wood Goat under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2015 | 11:58 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2015 | 11:58 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2015 | 11:58 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2015 | 11:58 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2015 | 12:58 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2015 | 12:58 |
| London | Feb 4, 2015 | 03:58 |
| New York | Feb 3, 2015(day before) | 22:58 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 2015(day before) | 19:58 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2015 | 14:58 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2015, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2015 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 19, 2015 |
| Lantern Festival | Mar 5, 2015 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 2015 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 20, 2015 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 20, 2015 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 28, 2015 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 27, 2015 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 21, 2015 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 17, 2016 |
The Goat and 乙未 in the calendar
The Goat is the Earthly Branch 未 (Wei); it also marks the double hour from 1 pm to 3 pm, the direction South-southwest and the fixed element Earth. 2015's own element, Wood, comes from the Heavenly Stem 乙. All Years of the Goat.
乙未 is the 32nd year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1955 and 2075 (see the Year of the Goat table).
Lunar months of the 2015 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 19, 2015 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Mar 20, 2015 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 19, 2015 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 18, 2015 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 16, 2015 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 16, 2015 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 14, 2015 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 13, 2015 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 13, 2015 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 12, 2015 | 29 |
| 11th month | Dec 11, 2015 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 10, 2016 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 2015
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 | 00:20 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 17:43 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 11:58 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 07:49 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 05:55 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 06:45 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 10:39 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 17:41 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 03:52 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 16:44 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 07:58 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 22 | 00:37 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 18:12 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 11:30 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 04:01 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 18:37 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 06:59 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 16:20 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 22:42 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 24 | 01:46 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 8 | 01:58 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 23:25 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 18:53 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 12:47 |
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 or February 2015?
The Year of the Goat began on February 19, 2015. Anyone born from January 1 to February 18, 2015 belongs to the previous year, the Wood Horse (甲午); anyone born on or after February 19, 2015 is a Wood Goat. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Goat year began at 11:58 China Standard Time on February 4, 2015 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2015 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Sunday, September 27, 2015. The next one, on September 15, 2016, comes 12 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2015 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 2015 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 2015 in the Chinese zodiac?
2015 is a Yin Wood year: its Heavenly Stem 乙 (Yi) carries Wood, and its Earthly Branch 未 (Wei) is the Goat. Together they make 乙未, the 32nd year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2015?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 2015 at 11:58. Births from then until February 18, 2015 are a Wood Horse under the popular New Year rule but a Wood Goat 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.