Chinese lunar calendar · year archive
Current year & next Chinese New Year →Chinese calendar 2002: year of the Water Horse
2002 is the year of the Water Horse in the Chinese calendar, from 12 February 2002 to 31 January 2003: 354 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 12 February 2002? That is still the Metal Snake year.
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354 days · Year of the Water Horse
Sexagenary year
Water controls Fire: the year stem is Water, while theHorse's fixed phase is Fire.
Length
354 days
Across 12 lunar months.
Leap month
None
The year runs its ordinary twelve months.
Beginning of Spring
Not within this year
立春 does not fall inside it — a springless year, 无春年.
Year name explained
Why Water Horse
Water restrains Fire in the Five Phases, so the year element is understood as moderating the Horse’s fixed element.
The animal repeats every 12 years, while the stem-and-branch pairing repeats every 60. The element in “Water Horse” comes from the year's heavenly stem; it is distinct from the animal's conventional fixed phase. Read the calendar glossary.
The 12 lunar months of 2002
A lunar month begins on the day of the new moon, so its Gregorian start date moves every year. These are the exact correspondences for 2002.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 12 February 2002 | 30 |
| Month 2 | 14 March 2002 | 30 |
| Month 3 | 13 April 2002 | 29 |
| Month 4 | 12 May 2002 | 30 |
| Month 5 | 11 June 2002 | 29 |
| Month 6 | 10 July 2002 | 30 |
| Month 7 | 9 August 2002 | 29 |
| Month 8 | 7 September 2002 | 29 |
| Month 9 | 6 October 2002 | 30 |
| Month 10 | 5 November 2002 | 29 |
| Month 11 | 4 December 2002 | 30 |
| Month 12 | 3 January 2003 | 29 |
The solar year within it
23 solar terms
Solar terms track the sun rather than the moon, so they sit at almost the same Gregorian date every year while the lunar months move by weeks. A twelve-month year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year and so holds fewer of them than a thirteen-month one.
- Rain Water雨水19 February 2002 · 04:13:18 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰6 March 2002 · 02:27:33 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分21 March 2002 · 03:16:07 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明5 April 2002 · 07:18:17 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 2002 · 14:20:28 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏6 May 2002 · 00:37:18 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 2002 · 13:29:06 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种6 June 2002 · 04:44:46 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至21 June 2002 · 21:24:24 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 2002 · 14:56:11 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑23 July 2002 · 08:14:51 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋8 August 2002 · 00:39:18 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 2002 · 15:16:58 UTC+8
- White Dew白露8 September 2002 · 03:31:02 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 2002 · 12:55:23 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露8 October 2002 · 19:09:18 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降23 October 2002 · 22:17:49 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬7 November 2002 · 22:21:49 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪22 November 2002 · 19:53:44 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 2002 · 15:14:14 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至22 December 2002 · 09:14:22 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒6 January 2003 · 02:27:43 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒20 January 2003 · 19:52:35 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 2002 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 12 February 2002lunar 1/1
- 26 February 2002lunar 1/15
- 15 June 2002lunar 5/5
- 15 August 2002lunar 7/7
- 23 August 2002lunar 7/15
- 21 September 2002lunar 8/15
- 14 October 2002lunar 9/9
- 10 January 2003lunar 12/8
- 31 January 2003lunar 12/29
Gregorian index
Month by month in 2002
Each Gregorian month of 2002, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.