2009 · 己丑 · Yin Earth Ox
When does the Year of the Ox start in 2009?
The Year of the Ox (己丑, Earth Ox) begins on Monday, January 26, 2009 by the lunar calendar, at Lunar New Year. Saju, the Korean Four Pillars (BaZi in Chinese), starts it 9 days later, at Ipchun: February 3, 2009 at 16:49 UTC, which is 1:49 am on February 4 in Seoul and 11:49 am on February 3 in New York and Toronto.
By Lunar New Year
Monday, January 26, 2009
The same day in Korea (Seollal) and China.
In saju, at Ipchun (입춘)
February 3, 2009 · 16:49 UTC
Feb 4, 1:49 am in Seoul · Feb 3, 11:49 am in New York
The Ipchun minute
Ipchun 2009, 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, 16:49 | UTC |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1:49 am | UTC+9 |
| Beijing | Feb 4, 12:49 am | UTC+8 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 3:49 am | UTC+11 |
| London | Feb 3, 4:49 pm | UTC |
| New York and Toronto | Feb 3, 11:49 am | UTC-5 |
| Los Angeles and Vancouver | Feb 3, 8:49 am | UTC-8 |
Local times use each place's clock in 2009, 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
戊子
Earth Rat
Yang Earth
From the start
己丑
Earth Ox
Yin Earth
The saju verdict
Born Jan 20 to Feb 20, 2009?
- 1Born before January 26: both calendars say Earth Rat.
- 2From January 26 until the Ipchun minute (1:49 am on February 4 in Seoul, 11:49 am on February 3 in New York): Lunar New Year says Ox, saju still says Rat. About 9 days where the two disagree.
- 3Born on February 5 or later: both say Earth Ox.
| Born | Lunar New Year | Saju (Ipchun) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 Tue | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 21 Wed | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 22 Thu | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 23 Fri | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 24 Sat | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 25 Sun | Rat | Rat |
| Jan 26 Mon | Ox | Rat |
| Jan 27 Tue | Ox | Rat |
| Jan 28 Wed | Ox | Rat |
| Jan 29 Thu | Ox | Rat |
| Jan 30 Fri | Ox | Rat |
| Jan 31 Sat | Ox | Rat |
| Feb 1 Sun | Ox | Rat |
| Feb 2 Mon | Ox | Rat |
| Feb 3 Tue | Ox | Rat → OxOx from 4:49 pm in London, 11:49 am in New York and Toronto, 8:49 am in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Rat all day in Seoul, Beijing, Sydney. |
| Feb 4 Wed | Ox | Rat → OxOx from 1:49 am in Seoul, 12:49 am in Beijing, 3:49 am in Sydney. Ox all day in London, New York and Toronto, Los Angeles and Vancouver. |
| Feb 5 Thu | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 6 Fri | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 7 Sat | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 8 Sun | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 9 Mon | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 10 Tue | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 11 Wed | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 12 Thu | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 13 Fri | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 14 Sat | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 15 Sun | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 16 Mon | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 17 Tue | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 18 Wed | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 19 Thu | Ox | Ox |
| Feb 20 Fri | 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
2009 year start FAQ
Is someone born on January 26, 2009 a Rat or a Ox?
By Lunar New Year (January 26) already a Ox. In saju still a Rat, because the saju year only turns at Ipchun (February 3, 16:49 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 2009?
By the lunar calendar on Monday, January 26, 2009, Lunar New Year. In saju at Ipchun (February 3, 16:49 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 2009 in Korea?
Seollal (설날) fell on Monday, January 26, 2009, the same day as in China.
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.