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Chinese New Year 1970
Friday, 6 February 1970. It opened the Year of the Metal Dog, 庚戌, which ran until 26 January 1971.
- New Year's Eve5 February 1970
- New Year's Day6 February 1970
- Lantern Festival20 February 1970
- Animal and elementMetal Dog 金狗, Yang
- Year ends26 January 1971; the next new year is 27 January 1971
What the Dog year carries
The Dog
Loyal, fair and protective. The Dog keeps its word and its friends, and has a strong sense of what is right.
Dogs guard the home in both the real and the spirit world; stone and paper dogs stand at old gates.
Metal 金
Metal years are associated with resolve and clarity: the edge of a blade, the ring of a bell. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
The pairing of stem and branch, 庚戌, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Dog year was 1910, the next is 2030.
The 1970 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1970 only.
| Day | Date in 1970 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 30 January 1970 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 5 February 1970, Thursday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 6 February 1970, Friday | The Year of the Dog begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 7 February 1970 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 10 February 1970 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 20 February 1970, 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 1970
1970 is a Metal Dog year, 庚戌, the 47th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1910 and comes again in 2030; the previous Dog year was 1958, the next is 1982. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 钗钏金.
New Year's Day fell on a Friday; the reunion dinner was the Thursday evening before. The festival landed on 6 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1970?
Between 6 February 1970 and 26 January 1971 you are a Metal Dog.
Anyone born from 6 February 1970 to 26 January 1971 is a Metal Dog (庚戌) and turns 56 in 2026. Loyal, fair and protective. The Dog keeps its word and its friends, and has a strong sense of what is right. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1970, before the 6 February 1970 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rooster, 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 Dog comes round again) are 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042, 2054; the next one is 2030. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Dog best are the Tiger, the Horse and the Rabbit: 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.
- 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
- 196917 February 1969, Earth Rooster
- 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
- 197631 January 1976, Fire Dragon
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1970?
Friday, 6 February 1970. New Year's Eve was 5 February 1970, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 20 February 1970.
What animal is 1970 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dog. From 6 February 1970 to 26 January 1971 it was the year of the Metal Dog (庚戌). Before 6 February 1970, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rooster.
How old is someone born in 1970?
Someone born in the Year of the Dog 1970 turns 56 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042.
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 Dog 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 Dog 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.