2014 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Wood Horse

2014 is the year of the Wood Horse (甲午 Jiǎwǔ), from 31 January 2014 to 18 February 2015. Anyone born in 2014 before 31 January 2014 belongs to the Water Snake year.

• Animal: Horse
• Element: Wood (Yang)
• Cycle name: 甲午 Jiǎwǔ, year 31 of the 60-year cycle
• Starts: 31 January 2014
• Ends: 18 February 2015

The Wood Horse

Wood years are traditionally linked with growth, generosity and cooperation: the element of things that grow towards the light and make room for others. 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 2014?

Anyone born from 1 January to 30 January 2014 belongs to the Water Snake year of 2013. From 31 January 2014 the Wood Horse year begins.

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.

2013: Water Snake · 2015: Wood Goat · All Horse years · All 12 animals