Chinese New Year 2027: Date, Year of the Goat and Red Envelopes

Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, 6 February 2027, and begins the Year of the Goat (the Fire Goat), which runs until 25 January 2028. The celebrations end with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day, 20 February 2027. Its best-known custom is the red envelope, a gift of money in red paper, now also sent digitally. Below: the dates, red envelope rules, wishes in Chinese and English, and how to send a red envelope with a Telegram gift inside.

Chinese New Year 2027 at a glance

China's official Spring Festival days off for 2027 had not been published when this page was checked on 15 October 2026.

What year is 2027 in the Chinese zodiac?

2027 is the Year of the Goat, and its element is fire, so it is a Fire Goat year. It starts on 6 February 2027 and ends on 25 January 2028, when the Year of the Monkey begins. The previous Goat year was 2015, a Wood Goat year. If you were born in January or early February, check the exact date: the zodiac year starts on the New Year, not on 1 January.

What is a red envelope?

A red envelope is a small red packet with money inside, given at Chinese New Year and other celebrations. Red stands for good luck and is believed to keep evil spirits away. It goes by many names: hongbao in Mandarin, lai see in Cantonese, ang pau in Hokkien, lì xì in Vietnamese, and red packet or red pocket in English.

Who gives red envelopes to whom?

• Married to unmarried. In southern China, married people give them to unmarried people, mostly children.
• Elders to the young. In much of China, elders give them to people under 25, or under 30 in most of the three northeastern provinces, married or not.
• Bosses to staff. Supervisors and business owners may hand them out to employees at New Year.

How much money do you put in a red envelope?

There is no fixed amount, but the number matters more than the size. Amounts usually end in an even digit, because odd sums are traditionally linked with funerals. Eight is the favourite, since 八 (bā) sounds like 发 (fā), prosperity, and nine is the one lucky odd number. Four is avoided, because 四 (sì) sounds like 死 (sǐ), death. Use new, crisp notes, never an empty envelope, and don't open one in front of the person who gave it.

What is a digital red envelope?

It is a red envelope sent through an app. WeChat launched its version through WeChat Pay over Chinese New Year 2014 and promoted it during the CCTV New Year's Gala. By the 2016 holiday, more than 32 billion virtual envelopes were sent, ten times as many as in 2015.

Lunar New Year wishes you can send

Short wishes in English, each short enough for a gift message:

• Happy Lunar New Year! Good fortune all year long.
• Wishing you luck and prosperity in the Year of the Goat.
• May the Fire Goat bring you calm days and bright news.
• Gong hei fat choi! Health, luck and a full table.
• A red envelope from far away, with all my best wishes inside.

More ready lines for every occasion are in What to Write in a Telegram Gift.

Can you send a red envelope on Telegram?

Telegram has no red envelope of its own. Gift Club, a Telegram mini app, has a Lunar New Year set of gift wraps: Red envelope, Lantern and Golden koi. Inside goes a real Telegram gift you won in the app, not money. Your friend sees only the envelope and your wish, and opens it in three taps.

1. Win a gift. Gift Club's boxes, scratch cards and games such as Plinko pay out in Stars and in Telegram gifts. They are paid games: a round costs Stars and can lose.
2. Choose Send. Open the gift in your collection, then send it to a friend in the app (up to 3 a day) or create a one-time gift link for any Telegram chat.
3. Pick Lunar New Year, then an envelope. Every wrap is free.
4. Write on the tag. Up to 80 characters, or a ready wish: "Happy Lunar New Year!", "Good fortune all year long" or "Wishing you luck and prosperity". A ready wish reaches your friend in their own language.
5. Send it. The chat card shows the envelope, never the gift.

Sending a won gift out of the app needs one top-up of 50 Stars or more first. A gift from a friend is never held, so the person you send it to can claim it to their Telegram profile without paying anything. The full steps, including gift links, are in How to Send a Gift on Telegram.

What this app is, plainly

Gift Club's games are paid and for adults, and winning a gift is never guaranteed: you can spend Stars and win nothing. A red envelope from Gift Club carries a Telegram gift, not money. If you want to give money for the New Year, a bank or a payment app is the route.

FAQ

When is Chinese New Year 2027?

Saturday, 6 February 2027. New Year's Eve is Friday, 5 February, and the Lantern Festival that ends the celebrations is on 20 February 2027.

What animal is 2027 in the Chinese zodiac?

The Goat. 2027 is a Fire Goat year, from 6 February 2027 to 25 January 2028.

How much money should you put in a red envelope?

There is no fixed sum. Pick an even amount, ideally with an 8 in it, avoid 4, use new notes and never give an empty envelope.

Why is the number 4 avoided?

In Chinese, 四 (sì, four) sounds like 死 (sǐ, death), so amounts with a 4 are avoided in red envelopes.

Do you open a red envelope in front of the giver?

Traditionally no. It is polite to thank them and open it later.

Can I send a red envelope on Telegram?

Telegram itself has none. In Gift Club, a Telegram mini app, you can wrap a real Telegram gift you won in a Red envelope, Lantern or Golden koi wrap, add a wish and send it to a friend or as a one-time link. It holds a gift, not money.

Keep reading

• What to Write in a Telegram Gift — ready messages for every occasion.
• Valentine's Day — eight days after the New Year in 2027.
• New Year traditions around the world.