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Chinese New Year 1942
Sunday, 15 February 1942. It opened the Year of the Water Horse, 壬午, which ran until 4 February 1943.
- New Year's Eve14 February 1942
- New Year's Day15 February 1942
- Lantern Festival1 March 1942
- Animal and elementWater Horse 水马, Yang
- Year ends4 February 1943; the next new year is 5 February 1943
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.
Water 水
Water years are associated with adaptability and depth: rivers finding their way. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
The pairing of stem and branch, 壬午, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Horse year was 1882, the next is 2002.
The 1942 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1942 only.
| Day | Date in 1942 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 8 February 1942 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 14 February 1942, Saturday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 15 February 1942, Sunday | The Year of the Horse begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 16 February 1942 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 19 February 1942 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 1 March 1942, 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 1942
1942 is a Water Horse year, 壬午, the 19th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1882 and comes again in 2002; the previous Horse year was 1930, the next is 1954. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 杨柳木.
New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, so the reunion dinner on 14 February 1942 landed on a Saturday evening. The festival landed on 15 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1942?
Between 15 February 1942 and 4 February 1943 you are a Water Horse.
Anyone born from 15 February 1942 to 4 February 1943 is a Water Horse (壬午) and turns 84 in 2026. Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 1942, before the 15 February 1942 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 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050; 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.
- 193624 January 1936, Fire Rat
- 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
- 19435 February 1943, Water Goat
- 194425 January 1944, Wood Monkey
- 194513 February 1945, Wood Rooster
- 19462 February 1946, Fire Dog
- 194722 January 1947, Fire Pig
- 194810 February 1948, Earth Rat
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1942?
Sunday, 15 February 1942. New Year's Eve was 14 February 1942, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 1 March 1942.
What animal is 1942 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Horse. From 15 February 1942 to 4 February 1943 it was the year of the Water Horse (壬午). Before 15 February 1942, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Snake.
How old is someone born in 1942?
Someone born in the Year of the Horse 1942 turns 84 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050.
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.