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Chinese New Year 1965
Tuesday, 2 February 1965. It opened the Year of the Wood Snake, 乙巳, which ran until 20 January 1966.
- New Year's Eve1 February 1965
- New Year's Day2 February 1965
- Lantern Festival16 February 1965
- Animal and elementWood Snake 木蛇, Yin
- Year ends20 January 1966; the next new year is 21 January 1966
What the Snake year carries
The Snake
Thoughtful, elegant and private. The Snake is called the little dragon; it is the sign of wisdom that watches before it speaks.
The White Snake of West Lake, who took human form for love, is one of China's four great folk tales.
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, 乙巳, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Snake year was 1905, the next is 2025.
The 1965 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1965 only.
| Day | Date in 1965 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 25 January 1965 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 1 February 1965, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 2 February 1965, Tuesday | The Year of the Snake begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 3 February 1965 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 6 February 1965 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 16 February 1965, Tuesday | 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 1965
1965 is a Wood Snake year, 乙巳, the 42th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1905 and comes again in 2025; the previous Snake year was 1953, the next is 1977. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 覆灯火.
New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner was the Monday evening before. The festival landed on 2 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1965?
Between 2 February 1965 and 20 January 1966 you are a Wood Snake.
Anyone born from 2 February 1965 to 20 January 1966 is a Wood Snake (乙巳) and turns 61 in 2026. Thoughtful, elegant and private. The Snake is called the little dragon; it is the sign of wisdom that watches before it speaks. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
Born in January or early February 1965, before the 2 February 1965 new year? Then the previous animal, the Dragon, 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 Snake comes round again) are 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037, 2049, 2061; the next one is 2037. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Snake best are the Ox, the Rooster and the Monkey: 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.
- 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
- 196413 February 1964, Wood Dragon
- 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
- 197127 January 1971, Metal Pig
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1965?
Tuesday, 2 February 1965. New Year's Eve was 1 February 1965, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 16 February 1965.
What animal is 1965 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Snake. From 2 February 1965 to 20 January 1966 it was the year of the Wood Snake (乙巳). Before 2 February 1965, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Dragon.
How old is someone born in 1965?
Someone born in the Year of the Snake 1965 turns 61 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037, 2049.
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 Snake 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 Snake 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.