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Chinese New Year 1924
Tuesday, 5 February 1924. It opened the Year of the Wood Rat, 甲子, which ran until 23 January 1925.
- New Year's Eve4 February 1924
- New Year's Day5 February 1924
- Lantern Festival19 February 1924
- Animal and elementWood Rat 木鼠, Yang
- Year ends23 January 1925; the next new year is 24 January 1925
What the Rat year carries
The Rat
Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it.
In the race that fixed the order of the zodiac, the Rat rode across the river on the Ox's back and leapt ahead at the bank to finish first.
Wood 木
Wood years are associated with growth and flexibility: spring, bamboo, new shoots. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
The pairing of stem and branch, 甲子, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Rat year was 1864, the next is 1984.
The 1924 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1924 only.
| Day | Date in 1924 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 28 January 1924 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 4 February 1924, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 5 February 1924, Tuesday | The Year of the Rat begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 6 February 1924 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 9 February 1924 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 19 February 1924, Tuesday | First full moon: lanterns, riddles, sweet rice balls. The season closes. |
In mainland China the public holiday usually runs from the eve for seven or eight days; Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia each keep their own, shorter, holiday. How the days are kept, in more detail: the traditions.
What is particular to 1924
1924 is a Wood Rat year, 甲子, the 1th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1864 and comes again in 1984; the previous Rat year was 1912, the next is 1936. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 海中金.
New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner was the Monday evening before. The festival landed on 5 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1924?
Between 5 February 1924 and 23 January 1925 you are a Wood Rat.
Anyone born from 5 February 1924 to 23 January 1925 is a Wood Rat (甲子) and turns 102 in 2026. Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
Born in January or early February 1924, before the 5 February 1924 new year? Then the previous animal, the Pig, is yours: the zodiac follows the lunar calendar, not 1 January. The zodiac calculator settles it from the exact date.
Your zodiac years (本命年, when the Rat comes round again) are 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032; the next one is 2032. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rat best are the Dragon, the Monkey and the Ox: the compatibility table has every pair.
Chinese New Year in other years
The second new moon after the winter solstice, so it moves between 21 January and 20 February. Every year from 1924 to 2050.
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1924?
Tuesday, 5 February 1924. New Year's Eve was 4 February 1924, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 19 February 1924.
What animal is 1924 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rat. From 5 February 1924 to 23 January 1925 it was the year of the Wood Rat (甲子). Before 5 February 1924, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Pig.
How old is someone born in 1924?
Someone born in the Year of the Rat 1924 turns 102 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032.
Why does the date change every year?
The festival falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, so it moves between 21 January and 20 February on the Western calendar.
How long does Chinese New Year last?
Fifteen days, from New Year's Day to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month. Most people have a week of public holiday in mainland China.
Born in a Rat year?
Your animal depends on the exact date, not the calendar year.
Find your animal
Enter your birthday and we count it by the lunar calendar: the animal, its element, your lunar birth date and your next zodiac year.
Chinese zodiac calculatorWant the Rat in ink on your wall? The zodiac poster sets the animal above your name and lunar birthday. Giving a Chinese name this new year? Three real names, free.