Lichun 2027 arrives on Thursday 4 February 2027 at 09:46 Malaysia time, and that is the moment the feng shui and BaZi year turns from the Fire Horse 丙午 (Bǐng Wǔ) to the Fire Goat 丁未 (Dīng Wèi). Chinese New Year follows two days later, on Saturday 6 February. So the short answer to “when does the new year start?” is that the festival starts on 6 February, but the chart-based year, the one that governs your BaZi, the annual Flying Stars and the Tai Sui, starts at Lichun.
I get asked about this gap every year, usually by someone born in early February who has just been told by two websites that they belong to two different animals. This article explains why the feng shui new year and the lunar new year are different, who sits in the two-day window, and how I would time cleansing, renovation and remedies around it. For the full annual forecast, read my Feng Shui 2027 guide.
What Is Lichun 立春, the Start of Spring?
Lichun 立春 (Lìchūn) means “the establishment of spring”. It is the first of the 24 solar terms in the traditional year, and astronomically it is the moment the Sun reaches 315 degrees of ecliptic longitude, roughly halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Because it is tied to the Sun’s position, it lands on 3, 4 or 5 February every year, rather than wandering like the lunar new year.
Malaysia has no spring, of course, and the term can feel remote from daily life here. But classical Chinese metaphysics was built on the northern agricultural year, and the logic carried into BaZi 八字 (bāzì) and Xuankong feng shui. Lichun is the point where the cold Yin half of the year hands over to the warming Yang half, and it opens the Tiger month 寅 (yín), the first month of the BaZi year. For the whole list of terms and their 2027 dates, see my Chinese calendar 2027 reference.
Why the Year Turns at Lichun and Not at Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year follows the Moon: it is the second new moon after the winter solstice. Lichun follows the Sun. The two calendars are independent, which is why Chinese New Year can fall anywhere between about 21 January and 20 February, while Lichun stays within a three-day window in early February.
BaZi and the Flying Stars are solar systems. A birth chart is not a lunar chart, and the stars that fly into your house each year are tied to the Earth’s journey around the Sun. That is why I use Lichun as the boundary for both. It is the classical position, and it is the one I teach and use with clients.
An honest note: you will find popular zodiac forecasts, newspaper columns and some temples that change the animal at Chinese New Year, because that is when the festival begins. For a holiday, that is fine. For a BaZi chart or a house assessment, I treat the lunar date as a social calendar and the solar term as the working one. Some practitioners differ on this, but most classical BaZi software and almanacs follow the solar boundary.
The Two-Day Gap: Who Is Affected
Here is the sequence in 2027, using the lunar calendar dates from the 2027 almanac data.
| Period | Lunar calendar year | BaZi and feng shui year |
|---|---|---|
| Up to Thursday 4 Feb, 09:46 | Horse | Horse (丙午) |
| Thursday 4 Feb, 09:46 to Friday 5 Feb | Horse | Goat (丁未) |
| From Saturday 6 Feb | Goat | Goat (丁未) |
So who falls where?
- Born before 09:46 on 4 February (this includes all of January): your BaZi year pillar is the Horse, and so is your lunar year. You are a Horse in both systems.
- Born from 4 February at 09:46 to the end of 5 February: your BaZi year pillar is the Goat 丁未, even though a lunar-calendar converter will still say Horse. In a BaZi chart you are a Goat, and you also take the Tiger month 寅 as your month pillar.
- Born on or after 6 February: a Goat in both.
If you were born on 4 February in any year, your birth time matters, because the Lichun moment changes year by year. In 2027 it is 09:46, but in other years it may fall in the afternoon or at night. Anyone born on 3, 4 or 5 February should have the chart calculated against the exact Lichun minute for their birth year.
One more caution. The clock time on a birth certificate is local time. If you or your child were born outside Malaysia, the time must be converted to Malaysia time (UTC+8) before it is compared with 09:46. Try our zodiac calculator for the year animal, and the BaZi tool or my BaZi guide for the full chart, but treat any tool as a starting point if the birth is within a day of the boundary.
What Changes at Lichun: 2026 Versus 2027
Everything that is “annual” in feng shui resets at Lichun. The table shows the main shifts from the Fire Horse year to the Fire Goat year.
| Item | 2026 (Fire Horse) | 2027 (Fire Goat) |
|---|---|---|
| Year pillar | 丙午 | 丁未 |
| Centre Flying Star | 1 | 9 |
| Five Yellow 五黃 | South | North |
| Two Black 二黑 | Northwest | West |
| Tai Sui 太岁 | South | South-Southwest |
| Sui Po 岁破 (Year Breaker) | North | North-Northeast |
| Three Killings 三煞 | North | West |
Read the table as a reminder to refresh rather than to fear. The North, for example, goes from being a Year Breaker and Three Killings sector to the Five Yellow sector, which is a different kind of care. For what each star means, read my Feng Shui 2027 forecast, and for the animals who need extra attention, see my Fan Tai Sui 2027 guide.
When Annual Stars and Tai Sui Take Effect
The 2027 Flying Stars and the Tai Sui position take effect from Lichun on 4 February, not from the lunar new year. From that moment, the Tai Sui “sits” in the South-Southwest, the Year Breaker in the North-Northeast and the Three Killings in the West.
The same applies to the personal side of Tai Sui. Whether a person is considered to offend Tai Sui in 2027 follows the BaZi year, so someone in the two-day window who is a Goat or an Ox in BaZi terms is counted under the new year. In Malaysia, many temples run Tai Sui blessing sessions around the lunar new year, which is a sensible time for the community and a convenient time for families. It is a temple calendar, not a chart boundary, so there is no need to feel you are too early or too late if you go a few days either side.
There is also a practical point on the other side of the line. Last year’s afflicted sectors, the South (Tai Sui and Five Yellow in 2026) and the Northwest (Two Black in 2026), are released at Lichun. Work that you postponed in those areas through 2026 is no longer sitting on those stars. Whether a particular day is suitable to do the work is a separate question for the almanac, so look at the date as well.
Timing Cleansing, Renovation and Remedies Around Lichun
There is no single correct hour that suits every home, and I would be wary of anyone who claims one. What I can give you is a sensible order of work.
- Declutter and clean before Lichun. The week before is ideal, which also lines up with the traditional pre-festival cleaning before the reunion dinner. See my CNY decoration feng shui guide for the room-by-room routine.
- Finish any noisy or structural work before Lichun. If work falls in the new Tai Sui, Year Breaker, Three Killings or Five Yellow sectors, the cleanest approach is to complete it before the new stars arrive, or to wait until you have checked the timing with me. Lichun is the dividing line, not the lunar new year.
- Retire last year’s remedies. Wash the Metal bowl or ornament that sat in the South last year. You can keep it, give it away or reuse it in a sector where Metal is needed this year.
- Place the new remedies around Lichun. Some practitioners like to set them just after the Lichun moment, and others the evening before, so the house is settled. I accept either, and I advise against postponing until the festival, since custom discourages sweeping, rearranging and cleaning on the first days of the new year.
- Keep the first weeks calm. Avoid drilling, hammering or heavy rearranging in the afflicted sectors during the early part of the year.
Remember that every home differs. Whether renovation in a given room is a concern depends on your facing direction, layout and natal chart, which is something I check in a consultation rather than assume.
What to Do on the Day
Lichun 2027 falls on a Thursday, so most households will be working. You do not need a ceremony, and I would not take leave for it. A simple routine is enough:
- Open the windows and let fresh air through the home before 09:46 if you can.
- Turn on the lights in the main living area, and make sure the entrance is clean and bright.
- Check that the new remedies are in place and last year’s are put away.
- Take a quiet moment to set two or three realistic intentions for the year.
- Avoid starting large ventures, signing major contracts or beginning renovation work on the day itself. The almanac data I use lists 4 February with the ji field “nothing is suitable”, although editions differ; I explain how I read such entries in my Tong Shu 2027 guide.
Then carry on with the week. The days between Lichun and the lunar new year are a good time to finish your reunion dinner preparations, which I cover in the Chinese New Year 2027 guide.
Common Questions
Is the Goat year from Lichun or from Chinese New Year? For BaZi and feng shui, from Lichun on 4 February 2027 at 09:46 Malaysia time. For the lunar calendar and the festival, from Chinese New Year on 6 February 2027.
My baby will be born on 5 February 2027. What animal is the baby? In a BaZi chart the baby is a Goat, with the year pillar 丁未, even though lunar-calendar tools still show the Horse year until 6 February. Many Malaysian families use the lunar year in daily life and the BaZi year for the chart. The birth time matters if the birth is on 4 February.
Do I have to wait for the exact minute to rearrange furniture? No. The minute matters for a birth chart. For a home, I look at the day and the work involved. Quiet tidying is fine at any time, and it is noisy structural work near the afflicted sectors that I would plan carefully.
Does Tai Sui change at the lunar new year? In classical practice it changes at Lichun. Temples and families may hold their Tai Sui prayers around the festival, which is perfectly fine.
Why do two websites give me different zodiac animals? One is probably using the lunar new year as the boundary, and the other is probably using Lichun. Neither is a mistake. They are answering different questions.
Key Takeaways
- Lichun 2027 is Thursday 4 February 2027 at 09:46 Malaysia time, the start of the Fire Goat year in BaZi and feng shui.
- Chinese New Year is two days later, on Saturday 6 February 2027, and it begins the lunar Goat year.
- People born from 4 February 09:46 to 5 February are Goats in BaZi but still Horses on the lunar calendar. Convert birth times to Malaysia time before comparing.
- From Lichun, the Five Yellow is in the North, the Two Black in the West and Tai Sui in the South-Southwest. Last year’s South and Northwest afflictions are released.
- Finish noisy work and place the new remedies around Lichun, not after the festival, and remember there is no single correct hour that fits every household.
- A birth within a day of the boundary needs careful chart calculation. Use a tool as a first step, and have the chart checked.
If you or your home sit near this boundary and you would like it read properly, book a house Feng Shui consultation and I will check your chart and your floor plan together.
