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Chinese New Year 1945
Tuesday, 13 February 1945. It opened the Year of the Wood Rooster, 乙酉, which ran until 1 February 1946.
- New Year's Eve12 February 1945
- New Year's Day13 February 1945
- Lantern Festival27 February 1945
- Animal and elementWood Rooster 木鸡, Yin
- Year ends1 February 1946; the next new year is 2 February 1946
What the Rooster year carries
The Rooster
Observant, honest and hard-working. The Rooster announces the dawn: it is the sign of punctuality and of saying what it sees.
A rooster crowing at the right hour was once how a village knew the day had begun.
Wood 木
Wood years are associated with growth and flexibility: spring, bamboo, new shoots. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
The pairing of stem and branch, 乙酉, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Rooster year was 1885, the next is 2005.
The 1945 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1945 only.
| Day | Date in 1945 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 5 February 1945 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 12 February 1945, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 13 February 1945, Tuesday | The Year of the Rooster begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 14 February 1945 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 17 February 1945 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 27 February 1945, 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 1945
1945 is a Wood Rooster year, 乙酉, the 22th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1885 and comes again in 2005; the previous Rooster year was 1933, the next is 1957. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 泉中水.
New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner was the Monday evening before. The festival landed on 13 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1945?
Between 13 February 1945 and 1 February 1946 you are a Wood Rooster.
Anyone born from 13 February 1945 to 1 February 1946 is a Wood Rooster (乙酉) and turns 81 in 2026. Observant, honest and hard-working. The Rooster announces the dawn: it is the sign of punctuality and of saying what it sees. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
Born in January or early February 1945, before the 13 February 1945 new year? Then the previous animal, the Monkey, 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 Rooster comes round again) are 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041, 2053; the next one is 2029. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rooster best are the Ox, the Snake and the Dragon: 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.
- 193919 February 1939, Earth Rabbit
- 19408 February 1940, Metal Dragon
- 194127 January 1941, Metal Snake
- 194215 February 1942, Water Horse
- 19435 February 1943, Water Goat
- 194425 January 1944, Wood Monkey
- 19462 February 1946, Fire Dog
- 194722 January 1947, Fire Pig
- 194810 February 1948, Earth Rat
- 194929 January 1949, Earth Ox
- 195017 February 1950, Metal Tiger
- 19516 February 1951, Metal Rabbit
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1945?
Tuesday, 13 February 1945. New Year's Eve was 12 February 1945, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 27 February 1945.
What animal is 1945 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rooster. From 13 February 1945 to 1 February 1946 it was the year of the Wood Rooster (乙酉). Before 13 February 1945, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Monkey.
How old is someone born in 1945?
Someone born in the Year of the Rooster 1945 turns 81 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041.
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 Rooster 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 Rooster 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.