Cathay Ink › Chinese New Year › 1962
Chinese New Year 1962
Monday, 5 February 1962. It opened the Year of the Water Tiger, 壬寅, which ran until 24 January 1963.
- New Year's Eve4 February 1962
- New Year's Day5 February 1962
- Lantern Festival19 February 1962
- Animal and elementWater Tiger 水虎, Yang
- Year ends24 January 1963; the next new year is 25 January 1963
What the Tiger year carries
The Tiger
Bold, warm and unafraid of risk. The Tiger is the king of the mountain in Chinese lore, a guardian figure painted on doors and sewn onto children's shoes to keep harm away.
Children born in Tiger years were given tiger-head hats and shoes so the animal's courage would protect them.
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, 壬寅, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Tiger year was 1902, the next is 2022.
The 1962 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1962 only.
| Day | Date in 1962 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 28 January 1962 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 4 February 1962, Sunday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 5 February 1962, Monday | The Year of the Tiger begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 6 February 1962 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 9 February 1962 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 19 February 1962, Monday | 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 1962
1962 is a Water Tiger year, 壬寅, the 39th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1902 and comes again in 2022; the previous Tiger year was 1950, the next is 1974. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 金箔金.
New Year's Day fell on a Monday; the reunion dinner was the Sunday evening before. The festival landed on 5 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1962?
Between 5 February 1962 and 24 January 1963 you are a Water Tiger.
Anyone born from 5 February 1962 to 24 January 1963 is a Water Tiger (壬寅) and turns 64 in 2026. Bold, warm and unafraid of risk. The Tiger is the king of the mountain in Chinese lore, a guardian figure painted on doors and sewn onto children's shoes to keep harm away. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 1962, before the 5 February 1962 new year? Then the previous animal, the Ox, 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 Tiger comes round again) are 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034, 2046, 2058; the next one is 2034. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Tiger best are the Horse, the Dog and the Pig: 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.
- 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
- 196115 February 1961, Metal Ox
- 196325 January 1963, Water Rabbit
- 196413 February 1964, Wood Dragon
- 19652 February 1965, Wood Snake
- 196621 January 1966, Fire Horse
- 19679 February 1967, Fire Goat
- 196830 January 1968, Earth Monkey
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1962?
Monday, 5 February 1962. New Year's Eve was 4 February 1962, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 19 February 1962.
What animal is 1962 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Tiger. From 5 February 1962 to 24 January 1963 it was the year of the Water Tiger (壬寅). Before 5 February 1962, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Ox.
How old is someone born in 1962?
Someone born in the Year of the Tiger 1962 turns 64 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034, 2046.
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 Tiger 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 Tiger 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.