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Chinese New Year 1940
Thursday, 8 February 1940. It opened the Year of the Metal Dragon, 庚辰, which ran until 26 January 1941.
- New Year's Eve7 February 1940
- New Year's Day8 February 1940
- Lantern Festival22 February 1940
- Animal and elementMetal Dragon 金龙, Yang
- Year ends26 January 1941; the next new year is 27 January 1941
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.
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, 庚辰, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Dragon year was 1880, the next is 2000.
The 1940 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1940 only.
| Day | Date in 1940 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 31 January 1940 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 7 February 1940, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 8 February 1940, Thursday | The Year of the Dragon begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 9 February 1940 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 12 February 1940 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 22 February 1940, 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 1940
1940 is a Metal Dragon year, 庚辰, the 17th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1880 and comes again in 2000; the previous Dragon year was 1928, the next is 1952. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 白蜡金.
New Year's Day fell on a Thursday; the reunion dinner was the Wednesday evening before. The festival landed on 8 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1940?
Between 8 February 1940 and 26 January 1941 you are a Metal Dragon.
Anyone born from 8 February 1940 to 26 January 1941 is a Metal Dragon (庚辰) and turns 86 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. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1940, before the 8 February 1940 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 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048; 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.
- 193414 February 1934, Wood Dog
- 19354 February 1935, Wood Pig
- 193624 January 1936, Fire Rat
- 193711 February 1937, Fire Ox
- 193831 January 1938, Earth Tiger
- 193919 February 1939, Earth Rabbit
- 194127 January 1941, Metal Snake
- 194215 February 1942, Water Horse
- 19435 February 1943, Water Goat
- 194425 January 1944, Wood Monkey
- 194513 February 1945, Wood Rooster
- 19462 February 1946, Fire Dog
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1940?
Thursday, 8 February 1940. New Year's Eve was 7 February 1940, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 22 February 1940.
What animal is 1940 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dragon. From 8 February 1940 to 26 January 1941 it was the year of the Metal Dragon (庚辰). Before 8 February 1940, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rabbit.
How old is someone born in 1940?
Someone born in the Year of the Dragon 1940 turns 86 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048.
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.