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Chinese New Year 1949
Saturday, 29 January 1949. It opened the Year of the Earth Ox, 己丑, which ran until 16 February 1950.
- New Year's Eve28 January 1949
- New Year's Day29 January 1949
- Lantern Festival12 February 1949
- Animal and elementEarth Ox 土牛, Yin
- Year ends16 February 1950; the next new year is 17 February 1950
What the Ox year carries
The Ox
Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion.
The Ox would have won the river race, but carried the Rat across and came second without complaint.
Earth 土
Earth years are associated with steadiness and care: harvest, soil, the centre. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
The pairing of stem and branch, 己丑, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Ox year was 1889, the next is 2009.
The 1949 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1949 only.
| Day | Date in 1949 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 21 January 1949 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 28 January 1949, Friday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 29 January 1949, Saturday | The Year of the Ox begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 30 January 1949 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 2 February 1949 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 12 February 1949, Saturday | 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 1949
1949 is an Earth Ox year, 己丑, the 26th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1889 and comes again in 2009; the previous Ox year was 1937, the next is 1961. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 霹雳火.
New Year's Day fell on a Saturday, so the reunion dinner on 28 January 1949 landed on a Friday evening. The festival landed on 29 January in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1949?
Between 29 January 1949 and 16 February 1950 you are an Earth Ox.
Anyone born from 29 January 1949 to 16 February 1950 is an Earth Ox (己丑) and turns 77 in 2026. Steady, patient and dependable. The Ox finishes what it starts and is trusted with what matters; in farming China it was the family's most valuable companion. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
Born in January or early February 1949, before the 29 January 1949 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rat, 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 Ox comes round again) are 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033, 2045, 2057; the next one is 2033. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit an Ox best are the Snake, the Rooster and the Rat: 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.
- 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
- 195017 February 1950, Metal Tiger
- 19516 February 1951, Metal Rabbit
- 195227 January 1952, Water Dragon
- 195314 February 1953, Water Snake
- 19543 February 1954, Wood Horse
- 195524 January 1955, Wood Goat
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1949?
Saturday, 29 January 1949. New Year's Eve was 28 January 1949, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 12 February 1949.
What animal is 1949 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Ox. From 29 January 1949 to 16 February 1950 it was the year of the Earth Ox (己丑). Before 29 January 1949, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rat.
How old is someone born in 1949?
Someone born in the Year of the Ox 1949 turns 77 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033, 2045.
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 an Ox 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 Ox 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.