Horse strengths in tradition
- Energetic and enthusiastic
- Independent and free-spirited
- Warm and sociable
- Honest and direct
2026 Chinese zodiac: Year of the Fire Horse
The 2026 Chinese year runs from Tuesday 17 February 2026 to Friday 5 February 2027. Chinese New Year 2026
Its sign is the Yang Fire Horse: 丙午 (Bǐng-wǔ) in the 60-year cycle.
Born 1 January – 16 February 2026? Then you belong to the previous Chinese year: the Wood Snake of 2025.
Chinese New Year or Lichun?
Most calendars change the animal at Chinese New Year. Four Pillars (BaZi) astrology starts the year at Lichun, the Start of Spring, instead. For births around the turn of the year the two counts differ:
- 4 February 2026 (Lichun day): by Lichun, Wood Snake before 04:01 China time and Fire Horse from then on; by Chinese New Year, Wood Snake.
- 5–16 February 2026: Wood Snake by Chinese New Year, Fire Horse by Lichun.
- 4 February 2027 (Lichun day): by Lichun, Fire Horse before 09:46 China time and Fire Goat from then on; by Chinese New Year, Fire Horse.
- 5 February 2027: Fire Horse by Chinese New Year, Fire Goat by Lichun.
Dates and times in China time. The Chinese zodiac calculator converts them for your birthplace and shows both counts.
The Fire Horse in Chinese astrology
Fire is the Horse's own fixed element, so the Fire Horse is traditionally the most intense and independent Horse – spirited, bold and famously strong-willed.
The Horse is the seventh Chinese zodiac animal, associated in tradition with energy, independence and a love of freedom and movement. Fire is the element of warmth and energy, linked in Chinese tradition with summer, passion and outward expression.
Horse challenges in tradition
- Impatient with delays
- Restless under routine
- Starts more than it finishes
- Resists being restricted
Traditions, not predictions. The Horse in love and at work · The five elements
Other Horse years
The Fire Horse every 60 years
Questions and answers
What Chinese zodiac is 2026?
2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse (yang Fire, 丙午 Bǐng-wǔ), from 17 February 2026 to 5 February 2027. Anyone born 1 January – 16 February 2026 belongs to the previous Chinese year, the Wood Snake.
What element is 2026 in the Chinese zodiac?
Fire, in its yang form: the year’s Heavenly Stem is 丙 (Bǐng). Fire years are years ending in 6 or 7 – counted by the Chinese year, which begins in late January or February.
I was born in January or early February 2026 — which animal am I?
If you were born before 17 February 2026, the date of Chinese New Year, your sign is the Wood Snake of the 2025 Chinese year; from 17 February 2026 on, it is the Fire Horse. Four Pillars (BaZi) astrology counts from Lichun instead (4 February 2026, 04:01 China time).
When was Chinese New Year 2026?
It was on Tuesday 17 February 2026 (China time). The next one, on Saturday 6 February 2027, begins the Year of the Fire Goat.