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Chinese New Year 1954
Wednesday, 3 February 1954. It opened the Year of the Wood Horse, 甲午, which ran until 23 January 1955.
- New Year's Eve2 February 1954
- New Year's Day3 February 1954
- Lantern Festival17 February 1954
- Animal and elementWood Horse 木马, Yang
- Year ends23 January 1955; the next new year is 24 January 1955
What the Horse year carries
The Horse
Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion.
马到成功, "success as soon as the horse arrives", is the wish written on Horse-year greetings.
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, 甲午, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Horse year was 1894, the next is 2014.
The 1954 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1954 only.
| Day | Date in 1954 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 27 January 1954 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 2 February 1954, Tuesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 3 February 1954, Wednesday | The Year of the Horse begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 4 February 1954 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 7 February 1954 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 17 February 1954, Wednesday | 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 1954
1954 is a Wood Horse year, 甲午, the 31th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1894 and comes again in 2014; the previous Horse year was 1942, the next is 1966. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 沙中金.
New Year's Day fell on a Wednesday; the reunion dinner was the Tuesday evening before. The festival landed on 3 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1954?
Between 3 February 1954 and 23 January 1955 you are a Wood Horse.
Anyone born from 3 February 1954 to 23 January 1955 is a Wood Horse (甲午) and turns 72 in 2026. Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
Born in January or early February 1954, before the 3 February 1954 new year? Then the previous animal, the Snake, 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 Horse comes round again) are 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050, 2062; the next one is 2026. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Horse best are the Tiger, the Dog and the Goat: 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.
- 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
- 195314 February 1953, Water Snake
- 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
- 196028 January 1960, Metal Rat
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1954?
Wednesday, 3 February 1954. New Year's Eve was 2 February 1954, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 17 February 1954.
What animal is 1954 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Horse. From 3 February 1954 to 23 January 1955 it was the year of the Wood Horse (甲午). Before 3 February 1954, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Snake.
How old is someone born in 1954?
Someone born in the Year of the Horse 1954 turns 72 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050.
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 Horse 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 Horse 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.