2017 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Rooster
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Rooster 鸡
Element
Yin Fire
Stem-branch
丁酉 Ding-You
Zodiac year
Jan 28, 2017 to Feb 15, 2018
The 2017 Year of the Yin Fire Rooster (丁酉) began on Saturday, January 28, 2017, and lasted until February 15, 2018. Births from January 1 to January 27, 2017, the first 27 days of 2017, belonged to the Fire Monkey year. The lunar year has a leap 6th month, starting Jul 23, 2017, so it runs 384 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 3, 2017 and Feb 4, 2018), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 2017 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 23:34 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 27, 2017 | Fire Monkey | Fire Monkey |
| Jan 28 to Feb 3, 2017, before 23:34 | Fire Rooster | Fire Monkey |
| Feb 3, 2017, from 23:34, to Dec 31 | Fire Rooster | Fire Rooster |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2017 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Rooster (2017)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Monkey (2016)
Chinese New Year 2017: 2017-01-28. Lichun 2017: 2017-02-03 23:34 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 2017 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 2017 was 23:34 Beijing time on February 3, 2017. In New York that was 10:34 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 3, 2017 | 23:34 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 3, 2017 | 23:34 |
| Taipei | Feb 3, 2017 | 23:34 |
| Singapore | Feb 3, 2017 | 23:34 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2017 | 00:34 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2017 | 00:34 |
| London | Feb 3, 2017 | 15:34 |
| New York | Feb 3, 2017 | 10:34 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 2017 | 07:34 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2017 | 02:34 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2017, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2017 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Jan 28, 2017 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 11, 2017 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 2017 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | May 30, 2017 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 28, 2017 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Sep 5, 2017 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Oct 4, 2017 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 28, 2017 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 2017 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 24, 2018 |
The Rooster and 丁酉 in the calendar
The Rooster is the Earthly Branch 酉 (You); it also marks the double hour from 5 pm to 7 pm, the direction West and the fixed element Metal. 2017's own element, Fire, comes from the Heavenly Stem 丁. All Years of the Rooster.
丁酉 is the 34th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1957 and 2077 (see the Year of the Rooster table).
Lunar months of the 2017 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 6th month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Jan 28, 2017 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Feb 26, 2017 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Mar 28, 2017 | 29 |
| 4th month | Apr 26, 2017 | 30 |
| 5th month | May 26, 2017 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jun 24, 2017 | 29 |
| Leap 6th month | Jul 23, 2017 | 30 |
| 7th month | Aug 22, 2017 | 29 |
| 8th month | Sep 20, 2017 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 20, 2017 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 18, 2017 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 18, 2017 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 17, 2018 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 2017
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 | 11:55 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 05:23 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 3 | 23:34 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 18 | 19:31 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 17:32 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 18:28 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 22:17 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 05:27 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 15:31 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 04:30 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 19:36 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 12:24 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 05:50 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 22 | 23:15 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 15:40 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 06:20 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 18:38 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 04:01 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 10:22 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 13:26 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 13:37 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 11:04 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 06:32 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 00:27 |
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 2017?
The Year of the Rooster began on January 28, 2017. Anyone born from January 1 to January 27, 2017 belongs to the previous year, the Fire Monkey (丙申); anyone born on or after January 28, 2017 is a Fire Rooster. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Rooster year began at 23:34 China Standard Time on February 3, 2017 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2017 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Wednesday, October 4, 2017. The next one, on September 24, 2018, comes 10 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2017 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 6th month followed the regular 6th month, starting July 23, 2017 and lasting 30 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 384 days.
What element is 2017 in the Chinese zodiac?
2017 is a Yin Fire year: its Heavenly Stem 丁 (Ding) carries Fire, and its Earthly Branch 酉 (You) is the Rooster. Together they make 丁酉, the 34th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2017?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from January 28, 2017 until Lichun (February 3, 2017 at 23:34) are a Fire Rooster 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.