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Chinese New Year 1930
Thursday, 30 January 1930. It opened the Year of the Metal Horse, 庚午, which ran until 16 February 1931.
- New Year's Eve29 January 1930
- New Year's Day30 January 1930
- Lantern Festival13 February 1930
- Animal and elementMetal Horse 金马, Yang
- Year ends16 February 1931; the next new year is 17 February 1931
What the Horse year carries
The Horse
Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion.
马到成功, "success as soon as the horse arrives", is the wish written on Horse-year greetings.
Metal 金
Metal years are associated with resolve and clarity: the edge of a blade, the ring of a bell. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
The pairing of stem and branch, 庚午, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Horse year was 1870, the next is 1990.
The 1930 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1930 only.
| Day | Date in 1930 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 22 January 1930 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 29 January 1930, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 30 January 1930, Thursday | The Year of the Horse begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 31 January 1930 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 3 February 1930 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 13 February 1930, Thursday | 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 1930
1930 is a Metal Horse year, 庚午, the 7th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1870 and comes again in 1990; the previous Horse year was 1918, the next is 1942. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 路旁土.
New Year's Day fell on a Thursday; the reunion dinner was the Wednesday evening before. The festival landed on 30 January in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1930?
Between 30 January 1930 and 16 February 1931 you are a Metal Horse.
Anyone born from 30 January 1930 to 16 February 1931 is a Metal Horse (庚午) and turns 96 in 2026. Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1930, before the 30 January 1930 new year? Then the previous animal, the Snake, 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 Horse comes round again) are 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038; the next one is 2026. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Horse best are the Tiger, the Dog and the Goat: 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
- 192910 February 1929, Earth Snake
- 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
- 193624 January 1936, Fire Rat
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1930?
Thursday, 30 January 1930. New Year's Eve was 29 January 1930, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 13 February 1930.
What animal is 1930 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Horse. From 30 January 1930 to 16 February 1931 it was the year of the Metal Horse (庚午). Before 30 January 1930, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Snake.
How old is someone born in 1930?
Someone born in the Year of the Horse 1930 turns 96 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038.
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 Horse 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 Horse 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.