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Chinese New Year 1982
Monday, 25 January 1982. It opened the Year of the Water Dog, 壬戌, which ran until 12 February 1983.
- New Year's Eve24 January 1982
- New Year's Day25 January 1982
- Lantern Festival8 February 1982
- Animal and elementWater Dog 水狗, Yang
- Year ends12 February 1983; the next new year is 13 February 1983
What the Dog year carries
The Dog
Loyal, fair and protective. The Dog keeps its word and its friends, and has a strong sense of what is right.
Dogs guard the home in both the real and the spirit world; stone and paper dogs stand at old gates.
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, 壬戌, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Dog year was 1922, the next is 2042.
The 1982 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1982 only.
| Day | Date in 1982 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 17 January 1982 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 24 January 1982, Sunday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 25 January 1982, Monday | The Year of the Dog begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 26 January 1982 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 29 January 1982 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 8 February 1982, Monday | 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 1982
1982 is a Water Dog year, 壬戌, the 59th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1922 and comes again in 2042; the previous Dog year was 1970, the next is 1994. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大海水.
New Year's Day fell on a Monday; the reunion dinner was the Sunday evening before. The festival landed on 25 January in the Western calendar, one of the earlier dates it can take.
Born in 1982?
Between 25 January 1982 and 12 February 1983 you are a Water Dog.
Anyone born from 25 January 1982 to 12 February 1983 is a Water Dog (壬戌) and turns 44 in 2026. Loyal, fair and protective. The Dog keeps its word and its friends, and has a strong sense of what is right. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 1982, before the 25 January 1982 new year? Then the previous animal, the Rooster, 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 Dog comes round again) are 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042, 2054; the next one is 2030. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Dog best are the Tiger, the Horse and the Rabbit: 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.
- 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
- 19815 February 1981, Metal Rooster
- 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
- 198817 February 1988, Earth Dragon
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1982?
Monday, 25 January 1982. New Year's Eve was 24 January 1982, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 8 February 1982.
What animal is 1982 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Dog. From 25 January 1982 to 12 February 1983 it was the year of the Water Dog (壬戌). Before 25 January 1982, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Rooster.
How old is someone born in 1982?
Someone born in the Year of the Dog 1982 turns 44 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042.
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 Dog 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 Dog 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.