Cathay Ink › Chinese New Year › 1960
Chinese New Year 1960
Thursday, 28 January 1960. It opened the Year of the Metal Rat, 庚子, which ran until 14 February 1961.
- New Year's Eve27 January 1960
- New Year's Day28 January 1960
- Lantern Festival11 February 1960
- Animal and elementMetal Rat 金鼠, Yang
- Year ends14 February 1961; the next new year is 15 February 1961
What the Rat year carries
The Rat
Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it.
In the race that fixed the order of the zodiac, the Rat rode across the river on the Ox's back and leapt ahead at the bank to finish first.
Metal 金
Metal years are associated with resolve and clarity: the edge of a blade, the ring of a bell. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
The pairing of stem and branch, 庚子, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Rat year was 1900, the next is 2020.
The 1960 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1960 only.
| Day | Date in 1960 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 21 January 1960 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 27 January 1960, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 28 January 1960, Thursday | The Year of the Rat begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 29 January 1960 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 1 February 1960 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 11 February 1960, 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 1960
1960 is a Metal Rat year, 庚子, the 37th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1900 and comes again in 2020; the previous Rat year was 1948, the next is 1972. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 壁上土.
New Year's Day fell on a Thursday; the reunion dinner was the Wednesday evening before. The festival landed on 28 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 1960?
Between 28 January 1960 and 14 February 1961 you are a Metal Rat.
Anyone born from 28 January 1960 to 14 February 1961 is a Metal Rat (庚子) and turns 66 in 2026. Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1960, before the 28 January 1960 new year? Then the previous animal, the Pig, 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 Rat comes round again) are 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044, 2056; the next one is 2032. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rat best are the Dragon, the Monkey and the Ox: 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.
- 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
- 196115 February 1961, Metal Ox
- 19625 February 1962, Water Tiger
- 196325 January 1963, Water Rabbit
- 196413 February 1964, Wood Dragon
- 19652 February 1965, Wood Snake
- 196621 January 1966, Fire Horse
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1960?
Thursday, 28 January 1960. New Year's Eve was 27 January 1960, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 11 February 1960.
What animal is 1960 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rat. From 28 January 1960 to 14 February 1961 it was the year of the Metal Rat (庚子). Before 28 January 1960, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Pig.
How old is someone born in 1960?
Someone born in the Year of the Rat 1960 turns 66 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044.
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 Rat 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 Rat 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.