Year of the Goat 2027: Dates, Meaning and Lucky Gifts

The Chinese zodiac moves to the Goat at Lunar New Year 2027, which falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027. The Goat follows the Horse and comes before the Monkey in the twelve-year cycle, and 2027 is a Fire Goat year.

Goat, sheep or ram?

All three. The Chinese character 羊 (yáng) covers goats, sheep and rams alike, so you will see the same year called any of the three in English. They are the same sign.

What the goat stands for

In the traditional zodiac the Goat is associated with gentleness, calm, kindness and creativity — a peaceful sign that values home, family and the arts. People born in a Goat year are traditionally said to share those qualities. Like all zodiac lore, it is tradition rather than prediction, and part of the fun of the new year.

Goat years

1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 and 2027. Because the zodiac year starts at Lunar New Year rather than January 1, anyone born in January or early February should check the date their year began.

Three goats bring the spring

The best-known goat saying is 三阳开泰 (sān yáng kāi tài): "three yang bring prosperity". Yang (阳), the warmth that returns with spring, sounds the same as yang (羊), goat, so the phrase is drawn as three goats and used as a New Year blessing for a good beginning. In a Goat year it appears on everything.

Lunar New Year customs

• Red envelopes (hongbao) of money for children and younger relatives, and between friends.
• Red and gold everywhere: they stand for luck and fortune.
• Fish on the table and on decorations, because yú (fish) sounds like abundance.
• Clearing the house before the new year, never on the day itself, so the luck is not swept away.

Lucky gifts for the Year of the Goat

A Lunar New Year gift does not need to be large. Traditional choices are small, lucky and lasting:

• a Year of the Goat coin, for anyone born in a goat year or as a red-envelope keepsake
• a good luck koi coin, for perseverance and abundance
• a Chinese dragon coin, the most auspicious creature of all
• a deck of Chinese playing cards — a gift for the card player at the family table

Order well ahead of February: the gift is best given before the new year begins, not after.