Lichun — the Solar New Year

when the year actually turns

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The animal year does not change on January 1 — and in classical BaZi, not at the Lunar New Year either. It turns at Lichun, the "start of spring," when the Sun reaches a fixed point on its path in early February.

Lichun — the Solar New Year — illuminated illustration

A solar gate, not a party date

Lichun — "establishment of spring" — is the first of the twenty-four solar terms that divide the Sun's yearly path. It falls when the Sun reaches celestial longitude 315°, usually February 3–5. Because it is a solar event, it is fixed by astronomy, not by the phases of the Moon: this is the boundary classical Four Pillars practice uses for the year pillar, and it is the boundary all of our Chinese astrology tools use — Lichun-exact, to the day.

The famous Lunar New Year — the new moon festival with the lanterns — is real and beloved, but it is the festival calendar. The two dates usually differ by days or weeks, and BaZi follows the Sun.

Why it matters for your animal

If you were born in January or the first days of February, the difference is not academic: before Lichun, you belong to the previous animal year. A January 1998 birth is not a Tiger but an Ox; a February 2 birth in most years still carries the old animal. Popular apps that switch animals on January 1 — or even at Lunar New Year — quietly mislabel millions of people.

The same solar-term logic runs finer than years: the month pillars turn at solar terms too, which is one reason a proper BaZi conversion needs real astronomy rather than a lookup table.

Checking the boundary

Our free BaZi calculator applies the exact Lichun moment for your birth year automatically — border babies get the right animal without needing to know any of this. See what the current Lichun-exact year holds at This Year, and whether it clashes your own branch at Clash Year.

free tool

Raise your four pillars

Your year, month, day, and hour — converted exactly, Lichun-precise, with your Day Master and element balance read free.

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Lichun — the Solar New Year FAQs

When exactly is Lichun?

When the Sun reaches longitude 315° — usually February 3, 4, or 5, at a precise moment that shifts slightly each year. Our tools compute the exact boundary for every year rather than assuming a fixed date.

Is Lichun the same as Chinese New Year?

No. Chinese (Lunar) New Year is a new-moon festival that wanders between late January and late February. Lichun is a solar term fixed by the Sun's position. Classical BaZi turns the year pillar at Lichun; the festival calendar throws the party.

I was born in late January — what's my animal?

Almost certainly the previous year's animal, since Lichun hadn't arrived yet. Run your date through the free calculator — it applies the exact boundary for your birth year.

Do all astrologers use Lichun?

Classical Four Pillars practitioners overwhelmingly do; some popular traditions use Lunar New Year instead, which is why sources disagree about border dates. Our entire suite is consistently Lichun-based, so your animal, clash year, and this-year readings all agree.

the deeper lore