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Chinese New Year 1929
Sunday, 10 February 1929. It opened the Year of the Earth Snake, 己巳, which ran until 29 January 1930.
- New Year's Eve9 February 1929
- New Year's Day10 February 1929
- Lantern Festival24 February 1929
- Animal and elementEarth Snake 土蛇, Yin
- Year ends29 January 1930; the next new year is 30 January 1930
What the Snake year carries
The Snake
Thoughtful, elegant and private. The Snake is called the little dragon; it is the sign of wisdom that watches before it speaks.
The White Snake of West Lake, who took human form for love, is one of China's four great folk tales.
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, 己巳, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Snake year was 1869, the next is 1989.
The 1929 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1929 only.
| Day | Date in 1929 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 2 February 1929 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 9 February 1929, Saturday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 10 February 1929, Sunday | The Year of the Snake begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 11 February 1929 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 14 February 1929 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 24 February 1929, Sunday | 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 1929
1929 is an Earth Snake year, 己巳, the 6th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1869 and comes again in 1989; the previous Snake year was 1917, the next is 1941. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大林木.
New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, so the reunion dinner on 9 February 1929 landed on a Saturday evening. The festival landed on 10 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1929?
Between 10 February 1929 and 29 January 1930 you are an Earth Snake.
Anyone born from 10 February 1929 to 29 January 1930 is an Earth Snake (己巳) and turns 97 in 2026. Thoughtful, elegant and private. The Snake is called the little dragon; it is the sign of wisdom that watches before it speaks. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
Born in January or early February 1929, before the 10 February 1929 new year? Then the previous animal, the Dragon, 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 Snake comes round again) are 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037; the next one is 2037. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Snake best are the Ox, the Rooster and the Monkey: 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
- 192823 January 1928, Earth Dragon
- 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
- 19354 February 1935, Wood Pig
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1929?
Sunday, 10 February 1929. New Year's Eve was 9 February 1929, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 24 February 1929.
What animal is 1929 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Snake. From 10 February 1929 to 29 January 1930 it was the year of the Earth Snake (己巳). Before 10 February 1929, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Dragon.
How old is someone born in 1929?
Someone born in the Year of the Snake 1929 turns 97 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037.
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 Snake 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 Snake 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.