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Chinese New Year 1974
Wednesday, 23 January 1974. It opened the Year of the Wood Tiger, 甲寅, which ran until 10 February 1975.
- New Year's Eve22 January 1974
- New Year's Day23 January 1974
- Lantern Festival6 February 1974
- Animal and elementWood Tiger 木虎, Yang
- Year ends10 February 1975; the next new year is 11 February 1975
What the Tiger year carries
The Tiger
Bold, warm and unafraid of risk. The Tiger is the king of the mountain in Chinese lore, a guardian figure painted on doors and sewn onto children's shoes to keep harm away.
Children born in Tiger years were given tiger-head hats and shoes so the animal's courage would protect them.
Wood 木
Wood years are associated with growth and flexibility: spring, bamboo, new shoots. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
The pairing of stem and branch, 甲寅, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Tiger year was 1914, the next is 2034.
The 1974 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1974 only.
| Day | Date in 1974 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 15 January 1974 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 22 January 1974, Tuesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 23 January 1974, Wednesday | The Year of the Tiger begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 24 January 1974 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 27 January 1974 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 6 February 1974, 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 1974
1974 is a Wood Tiger year, 甲寅, the 51th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1914 and comes again in 2034; the previous Tiger year was 1962, the next is 1986. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大溪水.
New Year's Day fell on a Wednesday; the reunion dinner was the Tuesday evening before. The festival landed on 23 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 1974?
Between 23 January 1974 and 10 February 1975 you are a Wood Tiger.
Anyone born from 23 January 1974 to 10 February 1975 is a Wood Tiger (甲寅) and turns 52 in 2026. Bold, warm and unafraid of risk. The Tiger is the king of the mountain in Chinese lore, a guardian figure painted on doors and sewn onto children's shoes to keep harm away. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
Born in January or early February 1974, before the 23 January 1974 new year? Then the previous animal, the Ox, 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 Tiger comes round again) are 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034, 2046, 2058; the next one is 2034. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Tiger best are the Horse, the Dog and the Pig: 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.
- 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
- 19733 February 1973, Water Ox
- 197511 February 1975, Wood Rabbit
- 197631 January 1976, Fire Dragon
- 197718 February 1977, Fire Snake
- 19787 February 1978, Earth Horse
- 197928 January 1979, Earth Goat
- 198016 February 1980, Metal Monkey
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1974?
Wednesday, 23 January 1974. New Year's Eve was 22 January 1974, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 6 February 1974.
What animal is 1974 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Tiger. From 23 January 1974 to 10 February 1975 it was the year of the Wood Tiger (甲寅). Before 23 January 1974, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Ox.
How old is someone born in 1974?
Someone born in the Year of the Tiger 1974 turns 52 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034, 2046.
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 Tiger 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 Tiger 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.