2002 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Horse

2002 is the year of the Water Horse (壬午 Rénwǔ), from 12 February 2002 to 31 January 2003. Anyone born in 2002 before 12 February 2002 belongs to the Metal Snake year.

• Animal: Horse
• Element: Water (Yang)
• Cycle name: 壬午 Rénwǔ, year 19 of the 60-year cycle
• Starts: 12 February 2002
• Ends: 31 January 2003

The Water Horse

Water years are traditionally linked with adaptability, perception and communication: the element that finds a way around any obstacle. The Horse is the free spirit of the cycle. Tradition describes Horse people as energetic, independent and warm, quick with words and happiest on the move. They start with enthusiasm and hate being fenced in.

Born in January or February 2002?

Anyone born from 1 January to 11 February 2002 belongs to the Metal Snake year of 2001. From 12 February 2002 the Water Horse year begins.

Famous people born in the Water Horse year

• Jenna Ortega, born 27 September 2002

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.

2001: Metal Snake · 2003: Water Goat · All Horse years · All 12 animals