1997 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Ox

1997 is the year of the Fire Ox (丁丑 Dīngchǒu), from 7 February 1997 to 27 January 1998. Anyone born in 1997 before 7 February 1997 belongs to the Fire Rat year.

• Animal: Ox
• Element: Fire (Yin)
• Cycle name: 丁丑 Dīngchǒu, year 14 of the 60-year cycle
• Starts: 7 February 1997
• Ends: 27 January 1998

The Fire Ox

Fire years are traditionally linked with passion, visibility and momentum: the element of warmth, courage and ideas that spread quickly. The Ox is the patient worker of the zodiac. Tradition describes Ox people as dependable, methodical and quietly strong: slow to start, very hard to stop. They prefer proof to promises and build things meant to last, from a savings account to a family routine.

Born in January or February 1997?

Anyone born from 1 January to 6 February 1997 belongs to the Fire Rat year of 1996. From 7 February 1997 the Fire Ox year begins.

Famous people born in the Fire Ox year

• Rosé (BLACKPINK), born 11 February 1997
• Camila Cabello, born 3 March 1997
• Simone Biles, born 14 March 1997
• Lisa (BLACKPINK), born 27 March 1997
• Jacob Elordi, born 26 June 1997
• Kylie Jenner, born 10 August 1997
• Jungkook, born 1 September 1997
• Sydney Sweeney, born 12 September 1997
• Max Verstappen, born 30 September 1997

How the dates are worked out

Each Chinese New Year here is worked out from the sky, not copied from a list. A lunar month starts on the day of a New Moon in China Standard Time (UTC+8, or Beijing local time before 1929). The month holding the December solstice is the 11th month. When 13 New Moons fall between two of those months, the first month with no principal solar term (the Sun reaching a multiple of 30 degrees) is a leap month. New Year is the first day of the 1st month, which is why it moves between 21 January and 20 February. New Moons and solar terms follow Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms. The rules follow the Chinese calendar.

1996: Fire Rat · 1998: Earth Tiger · All Ox years · All 12 animals