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Chinese New Year 1976
Saturday, 31 January 1976. It opened the Year of the Fire Dragon, 丙辰, which ran until 17 February 1977.
- New Year's Eve30 January 1976
- New Year's Day31 January 1976
- Lantern Festival14 February 1976
- Animal and elementFire Dragon 火龙, Yang
- Year ends17 February 1977; the next new year is 18 February 1977
What the Dragon year carries
The Dragon
Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem.
Dragon years see a rise in births across the Chinese-speaking world: parents plan for them.
Fire 火
Fire years are associated with warmth and drive: summer, lanterns, the hearth. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
The pairing of stem and branch, 丙辰, returns once every sixty years; the last Fire Dragon year was 1916, the next is 2036.
The 1976 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1976 only.
| Day | Date in 1976 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 23 January 1976 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 30 January 1976, Friday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 31 January 1976, Saturday | The Year of the Dragon begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 1 February 1976 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 4 February 1976 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 14 February 1976, Saturday | 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 1976
1976 is a Fire Dragon year, 丙辰, the 53th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1916 and comes again in 2036; the previous Dragon year was 1964, the next is 1988. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 沙中土.
New Year's Day fell on a Saturday, so the reunion dinner on 30 January 1976 landed on a Friday evening. The festival landed on 31 January in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1976?
Between 31 January 1976 and 17 February 1977 you are a Fire Dragon.
Anyone born from 31 January 1976 to 17 February 1977 is a Fire Dragon (丙辰) and turns 50 in 2026. Confident, ambitious and generous. The only mythical animal in the cycle, the Dragon brings rain and good harvests; emperors took it as their emblem. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
Born in January or early February 1976, before the 31 January 1976 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rabbit, 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 Dragon comes round again) are 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048, 2060; the next one is 2036. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Dragon best are the Rat, the Monkey and the Rooster: 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.
- 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
- 197718 February 1977, Fire Snake
- 19787 February 1978, Earth Horse
- 197928 January 1979, Earth Goat
- 198016 February 1980, Metal Monkey
- 19815 February 1981, Metal Rooster
- 198225 January 1982, Water Dog
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1976?
Saturday, 31 January 1976. New Year's Eve was 30 January 1976, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 14 February 1976.
What animal is 1976 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dragon. From 31 January 1976 to 17 February 1977 it was the year of the Fire Dragon (丙辰). Before 31 January 1976, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rabbit.
How old is someone born in 1976?
Someone born in the Year of the Dragon 1976 turns 50 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048.
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 Dragon 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 Dragon 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.