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Chinese New Year 1964
Thursday, 13 February 1964. It opened the Year of the Wood Dragon, 甲辰, which ran until 1 February 1965.
- New Year's Eve12 February 1964
- New Year's Day13 February 1964
- Lantern Festival27 February 1964
- Animal and elementWood Dragon 木龙, Yang
- Year ends1 February 1965; the next new year is 2 February 1965
What the Dragon year carries
The Dragon
Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem.
Dragon years see a rise in births across the Chinese-speaking world: parents plan for them.
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, 甲辰, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Dragon year was 1904, the next is 2024.
The 1964 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1964 only.
| Day | Date in 1964 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 6 February 1964 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 12 February 1964, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 13 February 1964, Thursday | The Year of the Dragon begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 14 February 1964 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 17 February 1964 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 27 February 1964, 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 1964
1964 is a Wood Dragon year, 甲辰, the 41th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1904 and comes again in 2024; the previous Dragon year was 1952, the next is 1976. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 覆灯火.
New Year's Day fell on a Thursday; the reunion dinner was the Wednesday evening before. The festival landed on 13 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1964?
Between 13 February 1964 and 1 February 1965 you are a Wood Dragon.
Anyone born from 13 February 1964 to 1 February 1965 is a Wood Dragon (甲辰) and turns 62 in 2026. Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
Born in January or early February 1964, before the 13 February 1964 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rabbit, 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 Dragon comes round again) are 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048, 2060; the next one is 2036. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Dragon best are the Rat, the Monkey and the Rooster: 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.
- 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
- 19652 February 1965, Wood Snake
- 196621 January 1966, Fire Horse
- 19679 February 1967, Fire Goat
- 196830 January 1968, Earth Monkey
- 196917 February 1969, Earth Rooster
- 19706 February 1970, Metal Dog
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1964?
Thursday, 13 February 1964. New Year's Eve was 12 February 1964, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 27 February 1964.
What animal is 1964 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dragon. From 13 February 1964 to 1 February 1965 it was the year of the Wood Dragon (甲辰). Before 13 February 1964, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rabbit.
How old is someone born in 1964?
Someone born in the Year of the Dragon 1964 turns 62 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048.
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 Dragon 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 Dragon 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.