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Chinese New Year 1966
Friday, 21 January 1966. It opened the Year of the Fire Horse, 丙午, which ran until 8 February 1967.
- New Year's Eve20 January 1966
- New Year's Day21 January 1966
- Lantern Festival4 February 1966
- Animal and elementFire Horse 火马, Yang
- Year ends8 February 1967; the next new year is 9 February 1967
What the Horse year carries
The Horse
Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion.
马到成功, "success as soon as the horse arrives", is the wish written on Horse-year greetings.
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, 丙午, returns once every sixty years; the last Fire Horse year was 1906, the next is 2026.
The 1966 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1966 only.
| Day | Date in 1966 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 14 January 1966 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 20 January 1966, Thursday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 21 January 1966, Friday | The Year of the Horse begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 22 January 1966 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 25 January 1966 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 4 February 1966, Friday | 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 1966
1966 is a Fire Horse year, 丙午, the 43th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1906 and comes again in 2026; the previous Horse year was 1954, the next is 1978. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 天河水.
New Year's Day fell on a Friday; the reunion dinner was the Thursday evening before. The festival landed on 21 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 1966?
Between 21 January 1966 and 8 February 1967 you are a Fire Horse.
Anyone born from 21 January 1966 to 8 February 1967 is a Fire Horse (丙午) and turns 60 in 2026. Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
Born in January or early February 1966, before the 21 January 1966 new year? Then the previous animal, the Snake, 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 Horse comes round again) are 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050, 2062; the next one is 2026. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Horse best are the Tiger, the Dog and the Goat: 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.
- 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
- 19652 February 1965, Wood Snake
- 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
- 197215 February 1972, Water Rat
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1966?
Friday, 21 January 1966. New Year's Eve was 20 January 1966, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 4 February 1966.
What animal is 1966 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Horse. From 21 January 1966 to 8 February 1967 it was the year of the Fire Horse (丙午). Before 21 January 1966, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Snake.
How old is someone born in 1966?
Someone born in the Year of the Horse 1966 turns 60 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050.
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 Horse 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 Horse 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.