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Chinese New Year 1972
Tuesday, 15 February 1972. It opened the Year of the Water Rat, 壬子, which ran until 2 February 1973.
- New Year's Eve14 February 1972
- New Year's Day15 February 1972
- Lantern Festival29 February 1972
- Animal and elementWater Rat 水鼠, Yang
- Year ends2 February 1973; the next new year is 3 February 1973
What the Rat year carries
The Rat
Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it.
In the race that fixed the order of the zodiac, the Rat rode across the river on the Ox's back and leapt ahead at the bank to finish first.
Water 水
Water years are associated with adaptability and depth: rivers finding their way. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
The pairing of stem and branch, 壬子, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Rat year was 1912, the next is 2032.
The 1972 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1972 only.
| Day | Date in 1972 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 7 February 1972 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 14 February 1972, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 15 February 1972, Tuesday | The Year of the Rat begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 16 February 1972 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 19 February 1972 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 29 February 1972, 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 1972
1972 is a Water Rat year, 壬子, the 49th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1912 and comes again in 2032; the previous Rat year was 1960, the next is 1984. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 桑柘木.
New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner was the Monday evening before. The festival landed on 15 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1972?
Between 15 February 1972 and 2 February 1973 you are a Water Rat.
Anyone born from 15 February 1972 to 2 February 1973 is a Water Rat (壬子) and turns 54 in 2026. Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 1972, before the 15 February 1972 new year? Then the previous animal, the Pig, 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 Rat comes round again) are 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044, 2056; the next one is 2032. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rat best are the Dragon, the Monkey and the Ox: 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.
- 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
- 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
- 19787 February 1978, Earth Horse
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1972?
Tuesday, 15 February 1972. New Year's Eve was 14 February 1972, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 29 February 1972.
What animal is 1972 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rat. From 15 February 1972 to 2 February 1973 it was the year of the Water Rat (壬子). Before 15 February 1972, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Pig.
How old is someone born in 1972?
Someone born in the Year of the Rat 1972 turns 54 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044.
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 Rat 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 Rat 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.