1997 · 丁丑 · Yin Fire Ox
When does the Year of the Ox start in 1997?
The Year of the Ox (丁丑, Fire Ox) begins on Friday, February 7, 1997 by the lunar calendar, at Lunar New Year. Saju, the Korean Four Pillars (BaZi in Chinese), starts it 3 days earlier, at Ipchun: February 3, 1997 at 19:01 UTC, which is 4:01 am on February 4 in Seoul and 2:01 pm on February 3 in New York and Toronto.
By Lunar New Year
Friday, February 7, 1997
In Korea, Seollal is a day later: Saturday, February 8, 1997.
In saju, at Ipchun (입춘)
February 3, 1997 · 19:01 UTC
Feb 4, 4:01 am in Seoul · Feb 3, 2:01 pm in New York
The Ipchun minute
Ipchun 1997, around the world
Ipchun is a moment, not a date: the Sun reaching 315 degrees along its path. Every clock passes it at once, so the local date can differ.
| Place | Local time | Offset |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | Feb 3, 19:01 | UTC |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 4:01 am | UTC+9 |
| Beijing | Feb 4, 3:01 am | UTC+8 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 6:01 am | UTC+11 |
| London | Feb 3, 7:01 pm | UTC |
| New York and Toronto | Feb 3, 2:01 pm | UTC-5 |
| Los Angeles and Vancouver | Feb 3, 11:01 am | UTC-8 |
Local times use each place's clock in 1997, daylight saving and old offsets included. Computed with lunar-javascript, the same calendar engine as the free episode; almanacs can differ by a minute.
Before and after
Rat to Ox
Until the start
丙子
Fire Rat
Yang Fire
From the start
丁丑
Fire Ox
Yin Fire
The saju verdict
Born Jan 20 to Feb 20, 1997?
- 1Born before February 3: both calendars say Fire Rat.
- 2From the Ipchun minute (4:01 am on February 4 in Seoul, 2:01 pm on February 3 in New York) to February 6: saju says Ox, Lunar New Year still says Rat. About 3 days where the two disagree.
- 3Born on February 7 or later: both say Fire Ox. Korea's lunar calendar turns a day later, on February 8.
| Born | Lunar New Year | Saju (Ipchun) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 Mon | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 21 Tue | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 22 Wed | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 23 Thu | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 24 Fri | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 25 Sat | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 26 Sun | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 27 Mon | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 28 Tue | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 29 Wed | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 30 Thu | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 31 Fri | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 1 Sat | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 2 Sun | Rat | Rat |
| Feb 3 Mon | Rat | Rat → OxOx from 7:01 pm in London, 2:01 pm in New York and Toronto, 11:01 am in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Rat all day in Seoul, Beijing, Sydney. |
| Feb 4 Tue | Rat | Rat → OxOx from 4:01 am in Seoul, 3:01 am in Beijing, 6:01 am in Sydney. Ox all day in London, New York and Toronto, Los Angeles and Vancouver. |
| Feb 5 Wed | Rat | Ox |
| Feb 6 Thu | Rat | Ox |
| Feb 7 Fri | OxRat in Korea | Ox |
| Feb 8 Sat | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 9 Sun | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 10 Mon | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 11 Tue | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 12 Wed | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 13 Thu | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 14 Fri | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 15 Sat | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 16 Sun | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 17 Mon | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 18 Tue | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 19 Wed | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 20 Thu | Ox | Ox |
Highlighted rows are the days the two calendars disagree. Switch days are shown for the places above; in other time zones Ipchun can fall a day earlier or later. Check any birthday.
Questions
1997 year start FAQ
Is someone born on February 5, 1997 a Rat or a Ox?
By Lunar New Year (February 7) still a Rat. In saju a Ox, because the saju year had already turned at Ipchun (February 3, 19:01 UTC). Most zodiac charts and the holidays follow Lunar New Year; saju and BaZi follow Ipchun.
When did the Year of the Ox start in 1997?
By the lunar calendar on Friday, February 7, 1997, Lunar New Year. In saju at Ipchun (February 3, 19:01 UTC), the moment the Sun reached 315 degrees, known in Korean as Ipchun (입춘, 立春), the start of spring.
When was Lunar New Year 1997 in Korea?
Seollal (설날) fell on Saturday, February 8, 1997, a day after China's February 7. The new moon came at 11:06 pm in Beijing, already past midnight in Seoul, which was then an hour ahead.
Why does saju start the year at Ipchun?
Saju counts its years and months by the sun. The year turns at Ipchun, the start of spring, and each month at one of the solar terms. Lunar New Year follows the moon instead, so it moves between Jan 21 and Feb 20 while Ipchun stays around Feb 4.
Free episode · 4 panels
Your year, your Day Master
Type your birthday for your Day Master and a free episode. Add your birth city and time, and saju reads your year from Ipchun, to the minute.