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Chinese New Year 1978
Tuesday, 7 February 1978. It opened the Year of the Earth Horse, 戊午, which ran until 27 January 1979.
- New Year's Eve6 February 1978
- New Year's Day7 February 1978
- Lantern Festival21 February 1978
- Animal and elementEarth Horse 土马, Yang
- Year ends27 January 1979; the next new year is 28 January 1979
What the Horse year carries
The Horse
Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion.
马到成功, "success as soon as the horse arrives", is the wish written on Horse-year greetings.
Earth 土
Earth years are associated with steadiness and care: harvest, soil, the centre. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
The pairing of stem and branch, 戊午, returns once every sixty years; the last Earth Horse year was 1918, the next is 2038.
The 1978 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1978 only.
| Day | Date in 1978 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 31 January 1978 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 6 February 1978, Monday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 7 February 1978, Tuesday | The Year of the Horse begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 8 February 1978 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 11 February 1978 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 21 February 1978, 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 1978
1978 is an Earth Horse year, 戊午, the 55th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1918 and comes again in 2038; the previous Horse year was 1966, the next is 1990. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 天上火.
New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday; the reunion dinner was the Monday evening before. The festival landed on 7 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1978?
Between 7 February 1978 and 27 January 1979 you are an Earth Horse.
Anyone born from 7 February 1978 to 27 January 1979 is an Earth Horse (戊午) and turns 48 in 2026. Energetic, independent and straightforward. The Horse loves open space and company in equal measure, and is happiest in motion. Earth years favour steadiness: consolidating, caring for what is already there, the harvest of earlier work.
Born in January or early February 1978, before the 7 February 1978 new year? Then the previous animal, the Snake, 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 Horse comes round again) are 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050, 2062; the next one is 2026. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Horse best are the Tiger, the Dog and the Goat: 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.
- 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
- 197928 January 1979, Earth Goat
- 198016 February 1980, Metal Monkey
- 19815 February 1981, Metal Rooster
- 198225 January 1982, Water Dog
- 198313 February 1983, Water Pig
- 19842 February 1984, Wood Rat
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1978?
Tuesday, 7 February 1978. New Year's Eve was 6 February 1978, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 21 February 1978.
What animal is 1978 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Horse. From 7 February 1978 to 27 January 1979 it was the year of the Earth Horse (戊午). Before 7 February 1978, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Snake.
How old is someone born in 1978?
Someone born in the Year of the Horse 1978 turns 48 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050.
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 Horse 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 Horse 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.