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Chinese New Year 1936
Friday, 24 January 1936. It opened the Year of the Fire Rat, 丙子, which ran until 10 February 1937.
- New Year's Eve23 January 1936
- New Year's Day24 January 1936
- Lantern Festival7 February 1936
- Animal and elementFire Rat 火鼠, Yang
- Year ends10 February 1937; the next new year is 11 February 1937
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.
Fire 火
Fire years are associated with warmth and drive: summer, lanterns, the hearth. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
The pairing of stem and branch, 丙子, returns once every sixty years; the last Fire Rat year was 1876, the next is 1996.
The 1936 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1936 only.
| Day | Date in 1936 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 17 January 1936 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 23 January 1936, Thursday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 24 January 1936, Friday | The Year of the Rat begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 25 January 1936 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 28 January 1936 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 7 February 1936, Friday | 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 1936
1936 is a Fire Rat year, 丙子, the 13th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1876 and comes again in 1996; the previous Rat year was 1924, the next is 1948. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 涧下水.
New Year's Day fell on a Friday; the reunion dinner was the Thursday evening before. The festival landed on 24 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 1936?
Between 24 January 1936 and 10 February 1937 you are a Fire Rat.
Anyone born from 24 January 1936 to 10 February 1937 is a Fire Rat (丙子) and turns 90 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. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
Born in January or early February 1936, before the 24 January 1936 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 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044; 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.
- 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
- 193711 February 1937, Fire Ox
- 193831 January 1938, Earth Tiger
- 193919 February 1939, Earth Rabbit
- 19408 February 1940, Metal Dragon
- 194127 January 1941, Metal Snake
- 194215 February 1942, Water Horse
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1936?
Friday, 24 January 1936. New Year's Eve was 23 January 1936, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 7 February 1936.
What animal is 1936 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rat. From 24 January 1936 to 10 February 1937 it was the year of the Fire Rat (丙子). Before 24 January 1936, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Pig.
How old is someone born in 1936?
Someone born in the Year of the Rat 1936 turns 90 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044.
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.