2016 · 丙申 · Yang Fire Monkey
When does the Year of the Monkey start in 2016?
The Year of the Monkey (丙申, Fire Monkey) begins on Monday, February 8, 2016 by the lunar calendar, at Lunar New Year. Saju, the Korean Four Pillars (BaZi in Chinese), starts it 4 days earlier, at Ipchun: February 4, 2016 at 09:46 UTC, which is 6:46 pm on February 4 in Seoul and 4:46 am in New York and Toronto.
By Lunar New Year
Monday, February 8, 2016
The same day in Korea (Seollal) and China.
In saju, at Ipchun (입춘)
February 4, 2016 · 09:46 UTC
Feb 4, 6:46 pm in Seoul · Feb 4, 4:46 am in New York
The Ipchun minute
Ipchun 2016, 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 4, 09:46 | UTC |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 6:46 pm | UTC+9 |
| Beijing | Feb 4, 5:46 pm | UTC+8 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 8:46 pm | UTC+11 |
| London | Feb 4, 9:46 am | UTC |
| New York and Toronto | Feb 4, 4:46 am | UTC-5 |
| Los Angeles and Vancouver | Feb 4, 1:46 am | UTC-8 |
Local times use each place's clock in 2016, 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
Goat to Monkey
Until the start
乙未
Wood Goat
Yin Wood
From the start
丙申
Fire Monkey
Yang Fire
The saju verdict
Born Jan 20 to Feb 20, 2016?
- 1Born before February 4: both calendars say Wood Goat.
- 2From the Ipchun minute (6:46 pm on February 4 in Seoul, 4:46 am on February 4 in New York) to February 7: saju says Monkey, Lunar New Year still says Goat. About 4 days where the two disagree.
- 3Born on February 8 or later: both say Fire Monkey.
| Born | Lunar New Year | Saju (Ipchun) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 Wed | Goat | Goat |
| Jan 21 Thu | Goat | Goat |
| Jan 22 Fri | Goat | Goat |
| Jan 23 Sat | Goat | Goat |
| Jan 24 Sun | Goat | Goat |
| Jan 25 Mon | Goat | Goat |
| Jan 26 Tue | Goat | Goat |
| Jan 27 Wed | Goat | Goat |
| Jan 28 Thu | Goat | Goat |
| Jan 29 Fri | Goat | Goat |
| Jan 30 Sat | Goat | Goat |
| Jan 31 Sun | Goat | Goat |
| Feb 1 Mon | Goat | Goat |
| Feb 2 Tue | Goat | Goat |
| Feb 3 Wed | Goat | Goat |
| Feb 4 Thu | Goat | Goat → MonkeyMonkey from 6:46 pm in Seoul, 5:46 pm in Beijing, 8:46 pm in Sydney, 9:46 am in London, 4:46 am in New York and Toronto, 1:46 am in Los Angeles and Vancouver. |
| Feb 5 Fri | Goat | Monkey |
| Feb 6 Sat | Goat | Monkey |
| Feb 7 Sun | Goat | Monkey |
| Feb 8 Mon | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 9 Tue | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 10 Wed | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 11 Thu | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 12 Fri | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 13 Sat | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 14 Sun | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 15 Mon | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 16 Tue | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 17 Wed | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 18 Thu | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 19 Fri | Monkey | Monkey |
| Feb 20 Sat | Monkey | Monkey |
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
2016 year start FAQ
Is someone born on February 5, 2016 a Goat or a Monkey?
By Lunar New Year (February 8) still a Goat. In saju a Monkey, because the saju year had already turned at Ipchun (February 4, 09:46 UTC). Most zodiac charts and the holidays follow Lunar New Year; saju and BaZi follow Ipchun.
When did the Year of the Monkey start in 2016?
By the lunar calendar on Monday, February 8, 2016, Lunar New Year. In saju at Ipchun (February 4, 09:46 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 2016 in Korea?
Seollal (설날) fell on Monday, February 8, 2016, 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.