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Chinese New Year 1971
Wednesday, 27 January 1971. It opened the Year of the Metal Pig, 辛亥, which ran until 14 February 1972.
- New Year's Eve26 January 1971
- New Year's Day27 January 1971
- Lantern Festival10 February 1971
- Animal and elementMetal Pig 金猪, Yin
- Year ends14 February 1972; the next new year is 15 February 1972
What the Pig year carries
The Pig
Generous, easy-going and sincere. The Pig closes the cycle with abundance; it is the sign of enjoying what has been earned.
A pig under a roof is the character 家, home: a household was counted complete when it kept one.
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, 辛亥, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Pig year was 1911, the next is 2031.
The 1971 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1971 only.
| Day | Date in 1971 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 19 January 1971 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 26 January 1971, Tuesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 27 January 1971, Wednesday | The Year of the Pig begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 28 January 1971 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 31 January 1971 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 10 February 1971, Wednesday | 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 1971
1971 is a Metal Pig year, 辛亥, the 48th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1911 and comes again in 2031; the previous Pig year was 1959, the next is 1983. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 钗钏金.
New Year's Day fell on a Wednesday; the reunion dinner was the Tuesday evening before. The festival landed on 27 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 1971?
Between 27 January 1971 and 14 February 1972 you are a Metal Pig.
Anyone born from 27 January 1971 to 14 February 1972 is a Metal Pig (辛亥) and turns 55 in 2026. Generous, easy-going and sincere. The Pig closes the cycle with abundance; it is the sign of enjoying what has been earned. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1971, before the 27 January 1971 new year? Then the previous animal, the Dog, 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 Pig comes round again) are 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, 2043, 2055; the next one is 2031. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Pig best are the Rabbit, the Goat and the Tiger: 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.
- 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
- 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
- 197718 February 1977, Fire Snake
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1971?
Wednesday, 27 January 1971. New Year's Eve was 26 January 1971, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 10 February 1971.
What animal is 1971 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Pig. From 27 January 1971 to 14 February 1972 it was the year of the Metal Pig (辛亥). Before 27 January 1971, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Dog.
How old is someone born in 1971?
Someone born in the Year of the Pig 1971 turns 55 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, 2043.
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 Pig 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 Pig 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.