Cathay Ink › Chinese New Year › 1931
Chinese New Year 1931
Tuesday, 17 February 1931. It opened the Year of the Metal Goat, 辛未, which ran until 5 February 1932.
- New Year's Eve16 February 1931
- New Year's Day17 February 1931
- Lantern Festival3 March 1931
- Animal and elementMetal Goat 金羊, Yin
- Year ends5 February 1932; the next new year is 6 February 1932
What the Goat year carries
The Goat
Kind, creative and calm. The Goat is the artist of the cycle, drawn to beauty and to taking care of people.
The character 羊 sits inside 美, the character for beauty, and 善, the character for kindness.
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, 辛未, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Goat year was 1871, the next is 1991.
The 1931 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1931 only.
| Day | Date in 1931 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 10 February 1931 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 16 February 1931, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 17 February 1931, Tuesday | The Year of the Goat begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 18 February 1931 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 21 February 1931 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 3 March 1931, 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 1931
1931 is a Metal Goat year, 辛未, the 8th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1871 and comes again in 1991; the previous Goat year was 1919, the next is 1943. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 路旁土.
New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner was the Monday evening before. The festival landed on 17 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1931?
Between 17 February 1931 and 5 February 1932 you are a Metal Goat.
Anyone born from 17 February 1931 to 5 February 1932 is a Metal Goat (辛未) and turns 95 in 2026. Kind, creative and calm. The Goat is the artist of the cycle, drawn to beauty and to taking care of people. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1931, before the 17 February 1931 new year? Then the previous animal, the Horse, 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 Goat comes round again) are 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027, 2039; the next one is 2027. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Goat best are the Rabbit, the Pig and the Horse: 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.
- 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
- 193030 January 1930, Metal Horse
- 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
- 193711 February 1937, Fire Ox
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1931?
Tuesday, 17 February 1931. New Year's Eve was 16 February 1931, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 3 March 1931.
What animal is 1931 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Goat. From 17 February 1931 to 5 February 1932 it was the year of the Metal Goat (辛未). Before 17 February 1931, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Horse.
How old is someone born in 1931?
Someone born in the Year of the Goat 1931 turns 95 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027, 2039.
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 Goat 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 Goat 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.