Chinese lunar calendar · year archive
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2003 is the year of the Water Goat in the Chinese calendar, from 1 February 2003 to 21 January 2004: 355 days, 12 lunar months. Born before 1 February 2003? That is still the Water Horse year.
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355 days · Year of the Water Goat
Sexagenary year
Earth controls Water: the year stem is Water, while theGoat's fixed phase is Earth.
Length
355 days
Across 12 lunar months.
Leap month
None
The year runs its ordinary twelve months.
Beginning of Spring
Once
立春 falls once, as it usually does.
Year name explained
Why Water Goat
Earth restrains Water in the Five Phases, so the Goat’s fixed element is understood as moderating the year element.
The animal repeats every 12 years, while the stem-and-branch pairing repeats every 60. The element in “Water Goat” 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 2003
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 2003.
| Lunar month | Begins | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 1 February 2003 | 30 |
| Month 2 | 3 March 2003 | 30 |
| Month 3 | 2 April 2003 | 29 |
| Month 4 | 1 May 2003 | 30 |
| Month 5 | 31 May 2003 | 30 |
| Month 6 | 30 June 2003 | 29 |
| Month 7 | 29 July 2003 | 30 |
| Month 8 | 28 August 2003 | 29 |
| Month 9 | 26 September 2003 | 29 |
| Month 10 | 25 October 2003 | 30 |
| Month 11 | 24 November 2003 | 29 |
| Month 12 | 23 December 2003 | 30 |
The solar year within it
24 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.
- Beginning of Spring立春4 February 2003 · 14:05:20 UTC+8
- Rain Water雨水19 February 2003 · 10:00:13 UTC+8
- Awakening of Insects惊蛰6 March 2003 · 08:04:52 UTC+8
- Spring Equinox春分21 March 2003 · 08:59:46 UTC+8
- Pure Brightness清明5 April 2003 · 12:52:29 UTC+8
- Grain Rain谷雨20 April 2003 · 20:02:48 UTC+8
- Beginning of Summer立夏6 May 2003 · 06:10:29 UTC+8
- Grain Buds小满21 May 2003 · 19:12:25 UTC+8
- Grain in Ear芒种6 June 2003 · 10:19:43 UTC+8
- Summer Solstice夏至22 June 2003 · 03:10:28 UTC+8
- Minor Heat小暑7 July 2003 · 20:35:39 UTC+8
- Major Heat大暑23 July 2003 · 14:04:08 UTC+8
- Beginning of Autumn立秋8 August 2003 · 06:24:18 UTC+8
- End of Heat处暑23 August 2003 · 21:08:10 UTC+8
- White Dew白露8 September 2003 · 09:20:14 UTC+8
- Autumn Equinox秋分23 September 2003 · 18:46:49 UTC+8
- Cold Dew寒露9 October 2003 · 01:00:33 UTC+8
- Frost's Descent霜降24 October 2003 · 04:08:27 UTC+8
- Beginning of Winter立冬8 November 2003 · 04:13:11 UTC+8
- Minor Snow小雪23 November 2003 · 01:43:21 UTC+8
- Major Snow大雪7 December 2003 · 21:05:09 UTC+8
- Winter Solstice冬至22 December 2003 · 15:03:48 UTC+8
- Minor Cold小寒6 January 2004 · 08:18:33 UTC+8
- Major Cold大寒21 January 2004 · 01:42:22 UTC+8
Moving Gregorian dates
Festivals in the 2003 lunar year
Most follow numbered lunar dates; Qingming and Winter Solstice follow exact solar-term instants. Open a festival to see its rule.
- 1 February 2003lunar 1/1
- 15 February 2003lunar 1/15
- 4 June 2003lunar 5/5
- 4 August 2003lunar 7/7
- 12 August 2003lunar 7/15
- 11 September 2003lunar 8/15
- 4 October 2003lunar 9/9
- 30 December 2003lunar 12/8
- 21 January 2004lunar 12/30
Gregorian index
Month by month in 2003
Each Gregorian month of 2003, with the lunar dates and day pillars it covers.