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Chinese New Year 1983
Sunday, 13 February 1983. It opened the Year of the Water Pig, 癸亥, which ran until 1 February 1984.
- New Year's Eve12 February 1983
- New Year's Day13 February 1983
- Lantern Festival27 February 1983
- Animal and elementWater Pig 水猪, Yin
- Year ends1 February 1984; the next new year is 2 February 1984
What the Pig year carries
The Pig
Generous, easy-going and sincere. The Pig closes the cycle with abundance; it is the sign of enjoying what has been earned.
A pig under a roof is the character 家, home: a household was counted complete when it kept one.
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, 癸亥, returns once every sixty years; the last Water Pig year was 1923, the next is 2043.
The 1983 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1983 only.
| Day | Date in 1983 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 5 February 1983 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 12 February 1983, Saturday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 13 February 1983, Sunday | The Year of the Pig begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 14 February 1983 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 17 February 1983 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 27 February 1983, Sunday | 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 1983
1983 is a Water Pig year, 癸亥, the 60th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1923 and comes again in 2043; the previous Pig year was 1971, the next is 1995. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 大海水.
New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, so the reunion dinner on 12 February 1983 landed on a Saturday evening. The festival landed on 13 February in the Western calendar, close to the latest it can fall.
Born in 1983?
Between 13 February 1983 and 1 February 1984 you are a Water Pig.
Anyone born from 13 February 1983 to 1 February 1984 is a Water Pig (癸亥) and turns 43 in 2026. Generous, easy-going and sincere. The Pig closes the cycle with abundance; it is the sign of enjoying what has been earned. Water years favour adaptability: plans that bend, conversations that flow, patience with the long way round.
Born in January or early February 1983, before the 13 February 1983 new year? Then the previous animal, the Dog, 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 Pig comes round again) are 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, 2043, 2055; the next one is 2031. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Pig best are the Rabbit, the Goat and the Tiger: 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.
- 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
- 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
- 19896 February 1989, Earth Snake
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1983?
Sunday, 13 February 1983. New Year's Eve was 12 February 1983, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 27 February 1983.
What animal is 1983 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Pig. From 13 February 1983 to 1 February 1984 it was the year of the Water Pig (癸亥). Before 13 February 1983, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Dog.
How old is someone born in 1983?
Someone born in the Year of the Pig 1983 turns 43 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, 2043.
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 Pig 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 Pig 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.