2021 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Ox
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Ox 牛
Element
Yin Metal
Stem-branch
辛丑 Xin-Chou
Zodiac year
Feb 12, 2021 to Jan 31, 2022
The 2021 Year of the Yin Metal Ox (辛丑) began on Friday, February 12, 2021, and lasted until January 31, 2022. Births from January 1 to February 11, 2021, the first 42 days of 2021, belonged to the Metal Rat year. It has 12 lunar months and 354 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 2021 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 22:58 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 3, 2021, before 22:58 | Metal Rat | Metal Rat |
| Feb 3, 2021, from 22:58, to Feb 11 | Metal Rat | Metal Ox |
| Feb 12 to Dec 31, 2021 | Metal Ox | Metal Ox |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2021 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Metal Rat (2020)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Metal Rat (2020)
Chinese New Year 2021: 2021-02-12. Lichun 2021: 2021-02-03 22:58 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.
Lichun 2021 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 2021 was 22:58 Beijing time on February 3, 2021. In New York that was 09:58 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 3, 2021 | 22:58 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 3, 2021 | 22:58 |
| Taipei | Feb 3, 2021 | 22:58 |
| Singapore | Feb 3, 2021 | 22:58 |
| Seoul | Feb 3, 2021 | 23:58 |
| Tokyo | Feb 3, 2021 | 23:58 |
| London | Feb 3, 2021 | 14:58 |
| New York | Feb 3, 2021 | 09:58 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 2021 | 06:58 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2021 | 01:58 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2021, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2021 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 12, 2021 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 26, 2021 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 2021 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 14, 2021 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 14, 2021 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 22, 2021 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 21, 2021 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 14, 2021 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 21, 2021 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 10, 2022 |
The Ox and 辛丑 in the calendar
The Ox is the Earthly Branch 丑 (Chou); it also marks the double hour from 1 am to 3 am, the direction North-northeast and the fixed element Earth. 2021's own element, Metal, comes from the Heavenly Stem 辛. All Years of the Ox.
辛丑 is the 38th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1901 (see the Year of the Ox table), 1961 and 2081 (see the Year of the Ox table).
Lunar months of the 2021 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 12, 2021 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Mar 13, 2021 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 12, 2021 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 12, 2021 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 10, 2021 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 10, 2021 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 8, 2021 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 7, 2021 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 6, 2021 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 5, 2021 | 29 |
| 11th month | Dec 4, 2021 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 3, 2022 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 2021
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 | 11:23 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 04:39 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 3 | 22:58 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 18 | 18:43 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 16:53 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 17:37 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 21:35 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 04:33 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 14:47 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 03:37 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 18:52 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 11:32 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 05:05 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 22 | 22:26 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 14:53 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 05:34 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 17:52 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 03:21 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 09:39 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 12:51 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 12:58 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 10:33 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 05:57 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 21 | 23:59 |
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 2021?
The Year of the Ox began on February 12, 2021. Anyone born from January 1 to February 11, 2021 belongs to the previous year, the Metal Rat (庚子); anyone born on or after February 12, 2021 is a Metal Ox. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Ox year began at 22:58 China Standard Time on February 3, 2021 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2021 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. The next one, on September 10, 2022, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2021 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 2021 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 2021 in the Chinese zodiac?
2021 is a Yin Metal year: its Heavenly Stem 辛 (Xin) carries Metal, and its Earthly Branch 丑 (Chou) is the Ox. Together they make 辛丑, the 38th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2021?
Lichun came first, on February 3, 2021 at 22:58. Births from then until February 11, 2021 are a Metal Rat under the popular New Year rule but a Metal Ox 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.