The first day of each Chinese lunar year from 1900 to 1999, along with each year's corresponding animal. Chinese zodiac years are represented by 12 animal signs and begin at Chinese New Year. Find Chinese zodiac year dates from 1948 to 2031. Chinese Calendar 1996 (year of the rat from February 19, 1996 to February 06, 1997) provides lunar dates, auspicious dates and public holidays in 1996 We are waiting for the New zodiac signs 1996: Fire Rat, Chinese Lunar Year Year 1996 Begins on the Monday, February 19, 1996, the new zodiac sign applies since 10547 days only. What is the Chinese Lunar Calendar ? The Chinese Calendar is a solilunar calendar. New Year and Hari Raya Adifilitri came very close to each other in 1996, 1997, and 1998 (See Table 1). The phrase 'Gong Xi Raya' or 'Kongsi Raya' ('Raya' means 'celebration' in Malay) was Chinese New Year: Monday, February 19, 1996: Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is one of the largest celebratory events in China. Lantern Festival: Monday, March 4, 1996: Lantern Festival is a observance in China: International Women's Day: Friday, March 8, 1996: International Women's Day is a half day holiday in China: Arbor 1996 Chinese Calendar (Year of the Rat) showing Chinese lunar date, 24 Solar Terms, Chinese holidays and festivals in each month. Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year is thought to date back to the Shang Dynasty in the 14th century B.C. Under Emperor Wu of Han (140–87 B.C.), the tradition of carrying out rituals on the first day of the Below is a chart showing the beginning dates of the entire 78th and 79th 60-year cycle, Chinese calendar year and the corresponding element, animal, celestial stem, terrestrial branch and western date of the start of the Chinese New Year. The 1st year of the 1st 60- year cycle began in 2696 BCE on 16 February, by the Gregorian Calendar. The legal holiday is seven days long, from the Lunar New Year's Eve to the sixth day of the first lunar month. Some companies and public institutions enjoy a longer holiday up to 10 days or more, because in common knowledge among Chinese people, the festival lasts longer, from the Lunar New Year's Eve to the 15th day of the first lunar month (Lantern Festival). Furtherly based on Chinese Five Elements, the year 1996 belongs to the Fire. Therefore, people born in 1996 are the Fire Rat. Different from Gregorian calendar, Chinese zodiac uses lunar calendar, based on which only people born from February 19, 1996 to February 6, 1997 is Fire Rat and those born from January 1 to February 18 in 1996 are the Celebrate Chinese New Year 2025 from January 29 to February 12, marking the Year of the Wood Snake. Enjoy family gatherings, traditional dishes, and vibrant parades during this 15-day festival. In 1912, the government decided to abolish Chinese New Year and the lunar calendar, but adopted the Gregorian calendar instead and made January 1 the official start of the new year. After 1949, Chinese New Year was renamed to the Spring Festival . To determine if a year is a leap year, calculate the number of new moons between the 11th month in one year (i.e., the month containing the Winter Solstice) and the 11th month in the following year. If there are 13 new moons from the start of the 11th month in the first year to the start of the 11th month in the second year, a leap month must Chinese New Year Animal Fact 14 - When did the practice of associating animals with the new year begin?Everything you need to know about the Chinese zodiac c The Tang Dynasty period (618-907 AD) allows a change of paradigm in the Spring Festival celebration and the main function of the festival has also shifted.The festival was no longer perceived as a sacred ritual for the gods—which was the norm established for thousands of years—, and now the New Year was celebrated mainly as entertainment for both nobles and commoners. People mention the Chinese zodiac sign during the Chinese New Year Day. Chinese New Year is the first lunar day of the first lunar month, which is near the Tiger month. The lunar month is from the Lunar Calendar and the Tiger month is from the solar Stem-Branch calendar. The first day of Tiger month is around February 4. Dog is the 11th animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac signs, coming after the Rooster and before the Pig. Recent years of the Dog include 2018, 2006, 1994, 1982, 1970, 1958, and 1946, with the next Dog year in 2030 (Year of the Metal Dog). It is associated with the earthly branch sign xu. Dog is the 11th animal in the Chinese zodiac. The begin date of the Chinese New Year always falls between January 21 and February 21 and is based on the lunar-solar cycle. Look in the list below to see the actual Chinese calendar begin date for your birth year and discover the animal that was honored when you were born.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |