2015 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Wood Goat

2015 is the year of the Wood Goat (乙未 Yǐwèi), from 19 February 2015 to 7 February 2016. Anyone born in 2015 before 19 February 2015 belongs to the Wood Horse year.

• Animal: Goat
• Element: Wood (Yin)
• Cycle name: 乙未 Yǐwèi, year 32 of the 60-year cycle
• Starts: 19 February 2015
• Ends: 7 February 2016

The Wood Goat

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 Goat, also called the Sheep or Ram, is the artist of the zodiac. Tradition describes Goat people as gentle, creative and compassionate, calm company with a strong feel for beauty. They do their best work in a peaceful setting with people they trust.

Born in January or February 2015?

Anyone born from 1 January to 18 February 2015 belongs to the Wood Horse year of 2014. From 19 February 2015 the Wood Goat 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.

2014: Wood Horse · 2016: Fire Monkey · All Goat years · All 12 animals