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Chinese New Year 1981
Thursday, 5 February 1981. It opened the Year of the Metal Rooster, 辛酉, which ran until 24 January 1982.
- New Year's Eve4 February 1981
- New Year's Day5 February 1981
- Lantern Festival19 February 1981
- Animal and elementMetal Rooster 金鸡, Yin
- Year ends24 January 1982; the next new year is 25 January 1982
What the Rooster year carries
The Rooster
Observant, honest and hard-working. The Rooster announces the dawn: it is the sign of punctuality and of saying what it sees.
A rooster crowing at the right hour was once how a village knew the day had begun.
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, 辛酉, returns once every sixty years; the last Metal Rooster year was 1921, the next is 2041.
The 1981 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1981 only.
| Day | Date in 1981 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 28 January 1981 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 4 February 1981, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 5 February 1981, Thursday | The Year of the Rooster begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 6 February 1981 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 9 February 1981 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 19 February 1981, Thursday | 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 1981
1981 is a Metal Rooster year, 辛酉, the 58th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1921 and comes again in 2041; the previous Rooster year was 1969, the next is 1993. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 石榴木.
New Year's Day fell on a Thursday; the reunion dinner was the Wednesday evening before. The festival landed on 5 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1981?
Between 5 February 1981 and 24 January 1982 you are a Metal Rooster.
Anyone born from 5 February 1981 to 24 January 1982 is a Metal Rooster (辛酉) and turns 45 in 2026. Observant, honest and hard-working. The Rooster announces the dawn: it is the sign of punctuality and of saying what it sees. Metal years favour decisiveness and finishing: clean cuts, clear words, things brought to a conclusion.
Born in January or early February 1981, before the 5 February 1981 new year? Then the previous animal, the Monkey, 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 Rooster comes round again) are 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041, 2053; the next one is 2029. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rooster best are the Ox, the Snake and the Dragon: 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.
- 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
- 198225 January 1982, Water Dog
- 198313 February 1983, Water Pig
- 19842 February 1984, Wood Rat
- 198520 February 1985, Wood Ox
- 19869 February 1986, Fire Tiger
- 198729 January 1987, Fire Rabbit
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1981?
Thursday, 5 February 1981. New Year's Eve was 4 February 1981, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 19 February 1981.
What animal is 1981 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rooster. From 5 February 1981 to 24 January 1982 it was the year of the Metal Rooster (辛酉). Before 5 February 1981, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Monkey.
How old is someone born in 1981?
Someone born in the Year of the Rooster 1981 turns 45 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041.
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 Rooster 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 Rooster 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.