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Chinese New Year 1969
Monday, 17 February 1969. It opened the Year of the Earth Rooster, 己酉, which ran until 5 February 1970.
- New Year's Eve16 February 1969
- New Year's Day17 February 1969
- Lantern Festival3 March 1969
- Animal and elementEarth Rooster 土鸡, Yin
- Year ends5 February 1970; the next new year is 6 February 1970
What the Rooster year carries
The Rooster
Observant, honest and hard-working. The Rooster announces the dawn: it is the sign of punctuality and of saying what it sees.
A rooster crowing at the right hour was once how a village knew the day had begun.
Earth 土
Earth years are associated with steadiness and care: harvest, soil, the centre. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
The pairing of stem and branch, 己酉, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Rooster year was 1909, the next is 2029.
The 1969 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1969 only.
| Day | Date in 1969 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 9 February 1969 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 16 February 1969, Sunday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 17 February 1969, Monday | The Year of the Rooster begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 18 February 1969 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 21 February 1969 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 3 March 1969, 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 1969
1969 is an Earth Rooster year, 己酉, the 46th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1909 and comes again in 2029; the previous Rooster year was 1957, the next is 1981. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大驿土.
New Year's Day fell on a Monday; the reunion dinner was the Sunday evening before. The festival landed on 17 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1969?
Between 17 February 1969 and 5 February 1970 you are an Earth Rooster.
Anyone born from 17 February 1969 to 5 February 1970 is an Earth Rooster (己酉) and turns 57 in 2026. Observant, honest and hard-working. The Rooster announces the dawn: it is the sign of punctuality and of saying what it sees. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
Born in January or early February 1969, before the 17 February 1969 new year? Then the previous animal, the Monkey, 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 Rooster comes round again) are 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041, 2053; the next one is 2029. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rooster best are the Ox, the Snake and the Dragon: 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.
- 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
- 19706 February 1970, Metal Dog
- 197127 January 1971, Metal Pig
- 197215 February 1972, Water Rat
- 19733 February 1973, Water Ox
- 197423 January 1974, Wood Tiger
- 197511 February 1975, Wood Rabbit
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1969?
Monday, 17 February 1969. New Year's Eve was 16 February 1969, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 3 March 1969.
What animal is 1969 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rooster. From 17 February 1969 to 5 February 1970 it was the year of the Earth Rooster (己酉). Before 17 February 1969, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Monkey.
How old is someone born in 1969?
Someone born in the Year of the Rooster 1969 turns 57 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041.
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 Rooster 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 Rooster 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.