2026
Lucky Chinese zodiac signs in 2026: year of the Fire Horse
The 2026 Chinese zodiac year runs from Feb 17, 2026 to Feb 5, 2027. What the Fire Horse means and which signs tradition calls lucky or challenging.
- Animal
- Horse
- Element
- Fire
- Polarity
- Yang
- Stem–branch
- Bing Wu
- Starts
- Feb 17, 2026
- Ends
- Feb 5, 2027
- Lichun
- February 3, 2026, 20:02 UTC
When does the 2026 year start?
Lunar New Year 2026 falls on Feb 17, 2026. In Four Pillars astrology the year instead starts at Lichun, the start of spring, on February 3, 2026, 20:02 UTC (February 04, 04:02 China time). Birthdays between the two dates can be assigned differently depending on the convention.
Lucky and unlucky Chinese zodiac signs in 2026
Traditional Chinese astrology judges each animal by its relationship to the year’s animal (the year’s “Tai Sui”). These are derived from the fixed relationships of the twelve branches, not from predictions about individuals.
The Fire Horse and Japan
In Japan the Fire Horse year (hinoeuma) carries an old superstition about women born in it. In 1966, the last Fire Horse year, Japan’s births fell by about a quarter compared with 1965, one of the clearest effects of a zodiac belief on real behavior. 2026 is the first hinoeuma since then.
Born in 2026
Children born from Feb 17, 2026 onward are Fire Horses. Read about the Horse.
Frequently asked questions
What animal is 2026?
2026 is the year of the Fire Horse, from Feb 17, 2026.
Which Chinese zodiac signs are unlucky in 2026?
By tradition, the animals that “offend Tai Sui”: Horse, Rat, Ox, Rabbit.
Which Chinese zodiac signs are lucky in 2026?
Traditionally the animals in harmony or trine with the year: Tiger, Dog, Goat.
Sources
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