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Chinese New Year 1957
Thursday, 31 January 1957. It opened the Year of the Fire Rooster, 丁酉, which ran until 17 February 1958.
- New Year's Eve30 January 1957
- New Year's Day31 January 1957
- Lantern Festival14 February 1957
- Animal and elementFire Rooster 火鸡, Yin
- Year ends17 February 1958; the next new year is 18 February 1958
What the Rooster year carries
The Rooster
Observant, honest and hard-working. The Rooster announces the dawn: it is the sign of punctuality and of saying what it sees.
A rooster crowing at the right hour was once how a village knew the day had begun.
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, 丁酉, returns once every sixty years; the last Fire Rooster year was 1897, the next is 2017.
The 1957 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1957 only.
| Day | Date in 1957 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 23 January 1957 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 30 January 1957, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 31 January 1957, Thursday | The Year of the Rooster begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 1 February 1957 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 4 February 1957 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 14 February 1957, Thursday | 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 1957
1957 is a Fire Rooster year, 丁酉, the 34th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1897 and comes again in 2017; the previous Rooster year was 1945, the next is 1969. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 山下火.
New Year's Day fell on a Thursday; the reunion dinner was the Wednesday evening before. The festival landed on 31 January in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1957?
Between 31 January 1957 and 17 February 1958 you are a Fire Rooster.
Anyone born from 31 January 1957 to 17 February 1958 is a Fire Rooster (丁酉) and turns 69 in 2026. Observant, honest and hard-working. The Rooster announces the dawn: it is the sign of punctuality and of saying what it sees. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
Born in January or early February 1957, before the 31 January 1957 new year? Then the previous animal, the Monkey, 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 Rooster comes round again) are 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041, 2053; the next one is 2029. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rooster best are the Ox, the Snake and the Dragon: 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.
- 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
- 195612 February 1956, Fire Monkey
- 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
- 196325 January 1963, Water Rabbit
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1957?
Thursday, 31 January 1957. New Year's Eve was 30 January 1957, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 14 February 1957.
What animal is 1957 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rooster. From 31 January 1957 to 17 February 1958 it was the year of the Fire Rooster (丁酉). Before 31 January 1957, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Monkey.
How old is someone born in 1957?
Someone born in the Year of the Rooster 1957 turns 69 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041.
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 Rooster 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 Rooster 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.