2026 · 丙午 · Yang Fire Horse
When does the Year of the Horse start in 2026?
The Year of the Horse (丙午, Fire Horse) begins on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 by the lunar calendar, at Lunar New Year. Saju, the Korean Four Pillars (BaZi in Chinese), starts it 13 days earlier, at Ipchun: February 3, 2026 at 20:02 UTC, which is 5:02 am on February 4 in Seoul and 3:02 pm on February 3 in New York and Toronto.
By Lunar New Year
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
The same day in Korea (Seollal) and China.
In saju, at Ipchun (입춘)
February 3, 2026 · 20:02 UTC
Feb 4, 5:02 am in Seoul · Feb 3, 3:02 pm in New York
The Ipchun minute
Ipchun 2026, 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, 20:02 | UTC |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 5:02 am | UTC+9 |
| Beijing | Feb 4, 4:02 am | UTC+8 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 7:02 am | UTC+11 |
| London | Feb 3, 8:02 pm | UTC |
| New York and Toronto | Feb 3, 3:02 pm | UTC-5 |
| Los Angeles and Vancouver | Feb 3, 12:02 pm | UTC-8 |
Local times use each place's clock in 2026, 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
Snake to Horse
Until the start
乙巳
Wood Snake
Yin Wood
From the start
丙午
Fire Horse
Yang Fire
The saju verdict
Born Jan 20 to Feb 20, 2026?
- 1Born before February 3: both calendars say Wood Snake.
- 2From the Ipchun minute (5:02 am on February 4 in Seoul, 3:02 pm on February 3 in New York) to February 16: saju says Horse, Lunar New Year still says Snake. About 13 days where the two disagree.
- 3Born on February 17 or later: both say Fire Horse.
| Born | Lunar New Year | Saju (Ipchun) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 Tue | Snake | Snake |
| Jan 21 Wed | Snake | Snake |
| Jan 22 Thu | Snake | Snake |
| Jan 23 Fri | Snake | Snake |
| Jan 24 Sat | Snake | Snake |
| Jan 25 Sun | Snake | Snake |
| Jan 26 Mon | Snake | Snake |
| Jan 27 Tue | Snake | Snake |
| Jan 28 Wed | Snake | Snake |
| Jan 29 Thu | Snake | Snake |
| Jan 30 Fri | Snake | Snake |
| Jan 31 Sat | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 1 Sun | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 2 Mon | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 3 Tue | Snake | Snake → HorseHorse from 8:02 pm in London, 3:02 pm in New York and Toronto, 12:02 pm in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Snake all day in Seoul, Beijing, Sydney. |
| Feb 4 Wed | Snake | Snake → HorseHorse from 5:02 am in Seoul, 4:02 am in Beijing, 7:02 am in Sydney. Horse all day in London, New York and Toronto, Los Angeles and Vancouver. |
| Feb 5 Thu | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 6 Fri | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 7 Sat | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 8 Sun | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 9 Mon | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 10 Tue | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 11 Wed | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 12 Thu | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 13 Fri | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 14 Sat | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 15 Sun | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 16 Mon | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 17 Tue | Horse | Horse |
| Feb 18 Wed | Horse | Horse |
| Feb 19 Thu | Horse | Horse |
| Feb 20 Fri | Horse | Horse |
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
2026 year start FAQ
Is someone born on February 5, 2026 a Snake or a Horse?
By Lunar New Year (February 17) still a Snake. In saju a Horse, because the saju year had already turned at Ipchun (February 3, 20:02 UTC). Most zodiac charts and the holidays follow Lunar New Year; saju and BaZi follow Ipchun.
When did the Year of the Horse start in 2026?
By the lunar calendar on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, Lunar New Year. In saju at Ipchun (February 3, 20:02 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 2026 in Korea?
Seollal (설날) fell on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 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.