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Chinese New Year 1951
Tuesday, 6 February 1951. It opened the Year of the Metal Rabbit, 辛卯, which ran until 26 January 1952.
- New Year's Eve5 February 1951
- New Year's Day6 February 1951
- Lantern Festival20 February 1951
- Animal and elementMetal Rabbit 金兔, Yin
- Year ends26 January 1952; the next new year is 27 January 1952
What the Rabbit year carries
The Rabbit
Gentle, tactful and perceptive. The Rabbit prefers harmony to confrontation and tends to be the one everyone confides in.
The Jade Rabbit lives on the moon, pounding the elixir of life under the osmanthus tree; look for it at Mid-Autumn.
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, 辛卯, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Rabbit year was 1891, the next is 2011.
The 1951 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1951 only.
| Day | Date in 1951 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 30 January 1951 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 5 February 1951, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 6 February 1951, Tuesday | The Year of the Rabbit begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 7 February 1951 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 10 February 1951 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 20 February 1951, 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 1951
1951 is a Metal Rabbit year, 辛卯, the 28th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1891 and comes again in 2011; the previous Rabbit year was 1939, the next is 1963. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 松柏木.
New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner was the Monday evening before. The festival landed on 6 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1951?
Between 6 February 1951 and 26 January 1952 you are a Metal Rabbit.
Anyone born from 6 February 1951 to 26 January 1952 is a Metal Rabbit (辛卯) and turns 75 in 2026. Gentle, tactful and perceptive. The Rabbit prefers harmony to confrontation and tends to be the one everyone confides in. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1951, before the 6 February 1951 new year? Then the previous animal, the Tiger, 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 Rabbit comes round again) are 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023, 2035, 2047, 2059; the next one is 2035. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rabbit best are the Goat, the Pig and the Dog: 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.
- 194513 February 1945, Wood Rooster
- 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
- 195227 January 1952, Water Dragon
- 195314 February 1953, Water Snake
- 19543 February 1954, Wood Horse
- 195524 January 1955, Wood Goat
- 195612 February 1956, Fire Monkey
- 195731 January 1957, Fire Rooster
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1951?
Tuesday, 6 February 1951. New Year's Eve was 5 February 1951, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 20 February 1951.
What animal is 1951 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rabbit. From 6 February 1951 to 26 January 1952 it was the year of the Metal Rabbit (辛卯). Before 6 February 1951, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Tiger.
How old is someone born in 1951?
Someone born in the Year of the Rabbit 1951 turns 75 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023, 2035, 2047.
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 Rabbit 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 Rabbit 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.