Guide
Why the Chinese year starts on February 4
BaZi changes year at Start of Spring, not at Lunar New Year. Here is why, and who it affects.
Two calendars, one name
Lunar New Year follows the moon and moves between late January and mid February. BaZi follows the sun. Its year begins when the sun reaches Start of Spring, which falls on February 3, 4 or 5 every year.
Most animal lookups online use Lunar New Year. For a festival that is right. For a chart it is a different calendar, and for people born in the gap it gives the wrong year.
Why the sun
BaZi is a seasonal system. It reads what the season is doing to a person: whether they were born into cold or warmth, growth or harvest. The seasons are set by the sun, so the months and the year are set by the sun too. The month turns twelve times a year on fixed solar points, and the first of those points opens the year.
Why it matters to you
If you were born between January 20 and February 20, check. Your year pillar, and the animal people call yours, may belong to the year before. The same goes for your children and parents.
It also matters every year going forward. The new year's influence on your chart starts on February 4, so a change you feel in early February is on time, even if the celebration comes later.