2016 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Monkey
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Monkey 猴
Element
Yang Fire
Stem-branch
丙申 Bing-Shen
Zodiac year
Feb 8, 2016 to Jan 27, 2017
The 2016 Year of the Yang Fire Monkey (丙申) began on Monday, February 8, 2016, and lasted until January 27, 2017. Births from January 1 to February 7, 2016, the first 38 days of 2016, belonged to the Wood Goat year. It has 12 lunar months and 355 days, with no leap month. It contains no Start of Spring term at all, which folk custom calls a "blind year".
Which animal for a 2016 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 17:46 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 2016, before 17:46 | Wood Goat | Wood Goat |
| Feb 4, 2016, from 17:46, to Feb 7 | Wood Goat | Fire Monkey |
| Feb 8 to Dec 31, 2016 | Fire Monkey | Fire Monkey |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2016 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Wood Goat (2015)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Wood Goat (2015)
Chinese New Year 2016: 2016-02-08. Lichun 2016: 2016-02-04 17:46 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 2016 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 2016 was 17:46 Beijing time on February 4, 2016. In New York that was 04:46 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2016 | 17:46 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2016 | 17:46 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2016 | 17:46 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2016 | 17:46 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2016 | 18:46 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2016 | 18:46 |
| London | Feb 4, 2016 | 09:46 |
| New York | Feb 4, 2016 | 04:46 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 2016 | 01:46 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2016 | 20:46 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2016, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2016 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 8, 2016 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 22, 2016 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 2016 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 9, 2016 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 9, 2016 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 17, 2016 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 15, 2016 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 9, 2016 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 21, 2016 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 5, 2017 |
The Monkey and 丙申 in the calendar
The Monkey is the Earthly Branch 申 (Shen); it also marks the double hour from 3 pm to 5 pm, the direction West-southwest and the fixed element Metal. 2016's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丙. All Years of the Monkey.
丙申 is the 33rd year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1956 and 2076 (see the Year of the Monkey table).
Lunar months of the 2016 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 8, 2016 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 9, 2016 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 7, 2016 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 7, 2016 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 5, 2016 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 4, 2016 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 3, 2016 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 1, 2016 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 1, 2016 | 30 |
| 10th month | Oct 31, 2016 | 29 |
| 11th month | Nov 29, 2016 | 30 |
| 12th month | Dec 29, 2016 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 2016
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 | 06:08 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 23:27 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 17:46 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 13:33 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 11:43 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 12:30 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 16:27 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 19 | 23:29 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 09:41 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 20 | 22:36 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 13:48 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 06:34 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 00:03 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 22 | 17:30 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 09:53 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 00:38 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 12:51 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 22 | 22:21 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 04:33 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 07:45 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 07:47 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 05:22 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 00:41 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 21 | 18:44 |
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 2016?
The Year of the Monkey began on February 8, 2016. Anyone born from January 1 to February 7, 2016 belongs to the previous year, the Wood Goat (乙未); anyone born on or after February 8, 2016 is a Fire Monkey. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Monkey year began at 17:46 China Standard Time on February 4, 2016 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2016 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Thursday, September 15, 2016. The next one, on October 4, 2017, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2016 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 2016 lunar year has 12 months and 355 days: 7 long months of 30 days and 5 short months of 29 days.
What element is 2016 in the Chinese zodiac?
2016 is a Yang Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丙 (Bing) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 申 (Shen) is the Monkey. Together they make 丙申, the 33rd year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2016?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 2016 at 17:46. Births from then until February 7, 2016 are a Wood Goat under the popular New Year rule but a Fire Monkey 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.