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Chinese New Year 1953
Saturday, 14 February 1953. It opened the Year of the Water Snake, 癸巳, which ran until 2 February 1954.
- New Year's Eve13 February 1953
- New Year's Day14 February 1953
- Lantern Festival28 February 1953
- Animal and elementWater Snake 水蛇, Yin
- Year ends2 February 1954; the next new year is 3 February 1954
What the Snake year carries
The Snake
Thoughtful, elegant and private. The Snake is called the little dragon; it is the sign of wisdom that watches before it speaks.
The White Snake of West Lake, who took human form for love, is one of China's four great folk tales.
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, 癸巳, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Snake year was 1893, the next is 2013.
The 1953 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1953 only.
| Day | Date in 1953 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 6 February 1953 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 13 February 1953, Friday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 14 February 1953, Saturday | The Year of the Snake begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 15 February 1953 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 18 February 1953 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 28 February 1953, 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 1953
1953 is a Water Snake year, 癸巳, the 30th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1893 and comes again in 2013; the previous Snake year was 1941, the next is 1965. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 长流水.
New Year's Day fell on a Saturday, so the reunion dinner on 13 February 1953 landed on a Friday evening. The festival landed on 14 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1953?
Between 14 February 1953 and 2 February 1954 you are a Water Snake.
Anyone born from 14 February 1953 to 2 February 1954 is a Water Snake (癸巳) and turns 73 in 2026. Thoughtful, elegant and private. The Snake is called the little dragon; it is the sign of wisdom that watches before it speaks. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 1953, before the 14 February 1953 new year? Then the previous animal, the Dragon, 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 Snake comes round again) are 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037, 2049, 2061; the next one is 2037. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Snake best are the Ox, the Rooster and the Monkey: 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.
- 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
- 195227 January 1952, Water Dragon
- 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
- 19598 February 1959, Earth Pig
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1953?
Saturday, 14 February 1953. New Year's Eve was 13 February 1953, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 28 February 1953.
What animal is 1953 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Snake. From 14 February 1953 to 2 February 1954 it was the year of the Water Snake (癸巳). Before 14 February 1953, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Dragon.
How old is someone born in 1953?
Someone born in the Year of the Snake 1953 turns 73 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037, 2049.
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 Snake 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 Snake 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.