Spring Festival (立春)

The Chinese zodiac is rooted in the traditional solar calendar, not the Gregorian calendar. Lichun marks the moment the Sun reaches celestial longitude 315°, signaling the astronomical start of spring. Because the zodiac system is tied to seasonal and agricultural cycles, Lichun has been the accepted boundary for thousands of years in Bazi (Four Pillars) astrology.

No. Chinese New Year is based on the lunisolar calendar and falls on a different date each year, typically between January 21 and February 20. Lichun is a solar term that falls consistently around February 3–5. While many people informally use Lunar New Year as the zodiac boundary, traditional Bazi astrologers use Lichun because it is astronomically fixed.

If you were born in January, you almost certainly belong to the previous year's zodiac animal, because Lichun never falls before February 3. If you were born in February, you need to check the exact Lichun date for your birth year. Born before Lichun means you belong to the previous zodiac year; born on or after Lichun means you belong to the current zodiac year.

Celestial longitude is a coordinate system that divides the ecliptic — the Sun's apparent path across the sky — into 360 degrees. The Sun reaches 315° at the midpoint between the winter solstice (270°) and the spring equinox (0°/360°). This precise astronomical moment defines Lichun and has been calculated by Chinese astronomers for centuries.

In the Gregorian calendar, Lichun occurs every year around February 3–5. However, some Chinese lunisolar calendar years lack a Lichun (called 'blind years' or 无春年) because the lunar year's dates shift relative to the solar terms. These years are sometimes considered inauspicious for weddings in folk tradition, though this has no bearing on zodiac calculation, which always uses the solar-based Lichun.

For the purpose of Chinese zodiac determination in traditional Bazi astrology, Lichun is considered the correct boundary because it is based on precise solar astronomy. Lunar New Year, while culturally significant, is a lunisolar date that can differ from Lichun by up to two weeks. If precision matters — for example, for astrological readings — use Lichun.