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Chinese New Year 1952
Sunday, 27 January 1952. It opened the Year of the Water Dragon, 壬辰, which ran until 13 February 1953.
- New Year's Eve26 January 1952
- New Year's Day27 January 1952
- Lantern Festival10 February 1952
- Animal and elementWater Dragon 水龙, Yang
- Year ends13 February 1953; the next new year is 14 February 1953
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.
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, 壬辰, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Dragon year was 1892, the next is 2012.
The 1952 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1952 only.
| Day | Date in 1952 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 19 January 1952 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 26 January 1952, Saturday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 27 January 1952, Sunday | The Year of the Dragon begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 28 January 1952 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 31 January 1952 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 10 February 1952, 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 1952
1952 is a Water Dragon year, 壬辰, the 29th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1892 and comes again in 2012; the previous Dragon year was 1940, the next is 1964. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 长流水.
New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, so the reunion dinner on 26 January 1952 landed on a Saturday evening. The festival landed on 27 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 1952?
Between 27 January 1952 and 13 February 1953 you are a Water Dragon.
Anyone born from 27 January 1952 to 13 February 1953 is a Water Dragon (壬辰) and turns 74 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. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 1952, before the 27 January 1952 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 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048, 2060; 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.
- 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
- 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
- 195818 February 1958, Earth Dog
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1952?
Sunday, 27 January 1952. New Year's Eve was 26 January 1952, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 10 February 1952.
What animal is 1952 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dragon. From 27 January 1952 to 13 February 1953 it was the year of the Water Dragon (壬辰). Before 27 January 1952, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rabbit.
How old is someone born in 1952?
Someone born in the Year of the Dragon 1952 turns 74 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 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.