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Chinese New Year 1928
Monday, 23 January 1928. It opened the Year of the Earth Dragon, 戊辰, which ran until 9 February 1929.
- New Year's Eve22 January 1928
- New Year's Day23 January 1928
- Lantern Festival6 February 1928
- Animal and elementEarth Dragon 土龙, Yang
- Year ends9 February 1929; the next new year is 10 February 1929
What the Dragon year carries
The Dragon
Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem.
Dragon years see a rise in births across the Chinese-speaking world: parents plan for them.
Earth 土
Earth years are associated with steadiness and care: harvest, soil, the centre. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
The pairing of stem and branch, 戊辰, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Dragon year was 1868, the next is 1988.
The 1928 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1928 only.
| Day | Date in 1928 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 15 January 1928 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 22 January 1928, Sunday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 23 January 1928, Monday | The Year of the Dragon begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 24 January 1928 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 27 January 1928 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 6 February 1928, Monday | 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 1928
1928 is an Earth Dragon year, 戊辰, the 5th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1868 and comes again in 1988; the previous Dragon year was 1916, the next is 1940. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大林木.
New Year's Day fell on a Monday; the reunion dinner was the Sunday evening before. The festival landed on 23 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 1928?
Between 23 January 1928 and 9 February 1929 you are an Earth Dragon.
Anyone born from 23 January 1928 to 9 February 1929 is an Earth Dragon (戊辰) and turns 98 in 2026. Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
Born in January or early February 1928, before the 23 January 1928 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rabbit, 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 Dragon comes round again) are 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036; the next one is 2036. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Dragon best are the Rat, the Monkey and the Rooster: 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.
- 19245 February 1924, Wood Rat
- 192524 January 1925, Wood Ox
- 192613 February 1926, Fire Tiger
- 19272 February 1927, Fire Rabbit
- 192910 February 1929, Earth Snake
- 193030 January 1930, Metal Horse
- 193117 February 1931, Metal Goat
- 19326 February 1932, Water Monkey
- 193326 January 1933, Water Rooster
- 193414 February 1934, Wood Dog
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1928?
Monday, 23 January 1928. New Year's Eve was 22 January 1928, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 6 February 1928.
What animal is 1928 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dragon. From 23 January 1928 to 9 February 1929 it was the year of the Earth Dragon (戊辰). Before 23 January 1928, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rabbit.
How old is someone born in 1928?
Someone born in the Year of the Dragon 1928 turns 98 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036.
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 Dragon 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 Dragon 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.