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Chinese New Year 1984
Thursday, 2 February 1984. It opened the Year of the Wood Rat, 甲子, which ran until 19 February 1985.
- New Year's Eve1 February 1984
- New Year's Day2 February 1984
- Lantern Festival16 February 1984
- Animal and elementWood Rat 木鼠, Yang
- Year ends19 February 1985; the next new year is 20 February 1985
What the Rat year carries
The Rat
Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it.
In the race that fixed the order of the zodiac, the Rat rode across the river on the Ox's back and leapt ahead at the bank to finish first.
Wood 木
Wood years are associated with growth and flexibility: spring, bamboo, new shoots. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
The pairing of stem and branch, 甲子, returns once every sixty years; the last Wood Rat year was 1924, the next is 2044.
The 1984 festival calendar
Fifteen days from the eve to the first full moon; the dates below are for 1984 only.
| Day | Date in 1984 | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Little New Year 小年 | 25 January 1984 | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweets; the house cleaning begins. |
| New Year's Eve 除夕 | 1 February 1984, Wednesday | Reunion dinner, red couplets on the door, staying up to see the year in. |
| New Year's Day 初一 | 2 February 1984, Thursday | The Year of the Rat begins; red envelopes, visits in order of seniority, no sweeping. |
| Day 2 初二 | 3 February 1984 | Married daughters visit their parents. |
| Day 5 初五 | 6 February 1984 | Shops reopen and the God of Wealth is welcomed with firecrackers. |
| Lantern Festival 元宵 | 16 February 1984, 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 1984
1984 is a Wood Rat year, 甲子, the 1th of the sixty stem-and-branch pairs. The same pairing last fell in 1924 and comes again in 2044; the previous Rat year was 1972, the next is 1996. Its 纳音 "sound" in the old almanacs is 海中金.
New Year's Day fell on a Thursday; the reunion dinner was the Wednesday evening before. The festival landed on 2 February in the Western calendar, near the middle of its range.
Born in 1984?
Between 2 February 1984 and 19 February 1985 you are a Wood Rat.
Anyone born from 2 February 1984 to 19 February 1985 is a Wood Rat (甲子) and turns 42 in 2026. Quick, resourceful and sociable. The Rat opens the cycle: it is the sign of beginnings, of noticing the opening before anyone else and slipping through it. Wood years favour growth and beginnings: planting, building, the first steps of long projects.
Born in January or early February 1984, before the 2 February 1984 new year? Then the previous animal, the Pig, 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 Rat comes round again) are 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044, 2056; the next one is 2032. Tradition has you wear something red through a 本命年 for protection. The signs said to suit a Rat best are the Dragon, the Monkey and the Ox: 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.
- 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
- 198313 February 1983, Water Pig
- 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
- 199027 January 1990, Metal Horse
Questions
When was Chinese New Year 1984?
Thursday, 2 February 1984. New Year's Eve was 1 February 1984, and the Lantern Festival that closed the celebrations was 16 February 1984.
What animal is 1984 in the Chinese zodiac?
The Rat. From 2 February 1984 to 19 February 1985 it was the year of the Wood Rat (甲子). Before 2 February 1984, the year still belongs to the previous animal, the Pig.
How old is someone born in 1984?
Someone born in the Year of the Rat 1984 turns 42 in 2026. Their zodiac years (本命年) are 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044.
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 Rat 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 Rat 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.