2024: Year of the Wood Dragon

When does 2024 begin?

• Chinese New Year (the lunar calendar): February 10, 2024.
• BaZi (the solar calendar this page uses): the Start of Spring, February 4, 2024, 4:27 p.m. Beijing time — 3:27 a.m. on February 4 Eastern, 12:27 a.m. on February 4 Pacific.

Anyone born between those two dates falls in different years under the two calendars: already the year of the Dragon in BaZi, but still the year of the Rabbit by the lunar calendar.

The Heavenly Stem: 甲 (Wood)

Yang Wood is the archetype of the tall, upright tree — direct, principled, and pushing steadily toward the light rather than around obstacles.

The Earthly Branch: 辰 — Year of the Dragon

The Dragon is ambitious and dynamic — a commanding presence that tends to set the pace for whatever it's part of.

Which years are Dragon years?

1940 Metal1952 Water1964 Wood1976 Fire1988 Earth2000 Metal2012 Water2024 Wood

Born in January or early February? In BaZi each of these years begins at the Start of Spring, around February 4. Born before it, you belong to the year before.

What 2024 holds in the sky

Computed from the same ephemeris as the charts: every date below is a position, not a prediction, and can be checked against any astronomical almanac.

Eclipses

• April 8Solar eclipse
• September 18Lunar eclipse
• October 2Solar eclipse

Retrogrades

• December 13, 2023 – January 2Mercury retrograde
• April 1 – April 25Mercury retrograde
• August 5 – August 28Mercury retrograde
• November 26 – December 15Mercury retrograde
• December 6 – February 24, 2025Mars retrograde

Slow planets changing sign

• January 21Pluto enters Aquarius
• May 25Jupiter enters Gemini
• September 1Pluto enters Capricorn
• November 19Pluto enters Aquarius