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Chinese New Year 1956
Sunday, 12 February 1956. It opened the Year of the Fire Monkey, 丙申, which ran until 30 January 1957.
- New Year's Eve11 February 1956
- New Year's Day12 February 1956
- Lantern Festival26 February 1956
- Animal and elementFire Monkey 火猴, Yang
- Year ends30 January 1957; the next new year is 31 January 1957
What the Monkey year carries
The Monkey
Clever, playful and inventive. The Monkey solves problems sideways and keeps everyone laughing while it does.
Sun Wukong, the Monkey King of Journey to the West, is the most loved character in Chinese literature.
Fire 火
Fire years are associated with warmth and drive: summer, lanterns, the hearth. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
The pairing of stem and branch, 丙申, returns once every sixty years; the last Fire Monkey year was 1896, the next is 2016.
The 1956 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1956 only.
| Day | Date in 1956 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 4 February 1956 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 11 February 1956, Saturday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 12 February 1956, Sunday | The Year of the Monkey begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 13 February 1956 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 16 February 1956 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 26 February 1956, 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 1956
1956 is a Fire Monkey year, 丙申, the 33th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1896 and comes again in 2016; the previous Monkey year was 1944, the next is 1968. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 山下火.
New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, so the reunion dinner on 11 February 1956 landed on a Saturday evening. The festival landed on 12 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1956?
Between 12 February 1956 and 30 January 1957 you are a Fire Monkey.
Anyone born from 12 February 1956 to 30 January 1957 is a Fire Monkey (丙申) and turns 70 in 2026. Clever, playful and inventive. The Monkey solves problems sideways and keeps everyone laughing while it does. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
Born in January or early February 1956, before the 12 February 1956 new year? Then the previous animal, the Goat, 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 Monkey comes round again) are 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040, 2052; the next one is 2028. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Monkey best are the Rat, the Dragon and the Snake: 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.
- 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
- 195731 January 1957, Fire Rooster
- 195818 February 1958, Earth Dog
- 19598 February 1959, Earth Pig
- 196028 January 1960, Metal Rat
- 196115 February 1961, Metal Ox
- 19625 February 1962, Water Tiger
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1956?
Sunday, 12 February 1956. New Year's Eve was 11 February 1956, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 26 February 1956.
What animal is 1956 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Monkey. From 12 February 1956 to 30 January 1957 it was the year of the Fire Monkey (丙申). Before 12 February 1956, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Goat.
How old is someone born in 1956?
Someone born in the Year of the Monkey 1956 turns 70 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040.
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 Monkey 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 Monkey 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.